No misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse. –Jeffrey R. Holland, The Tongue of Angels, April 2007
Friday, January 24, 2014
Destination: Home, Take Two
Weather Forecast: We don't care about the weather. Just get us home.
4:39 am, EST [2:39 am, MST]: The airline just called. Our flight has been bumped from 8:35 am to 10:00 am. I suppose they thought it would make me less grumpy if they called at 4:29 am to warn me, rather than letting me find out when I got to the airport at 6:30 am. I'm really not sure which would have made me less grumpy.
7:00 am, EST [5:00 am, MST]: Alarm. Too. Grumpy. To. Be. Awake.
7:35 am, EST [5:35 am, MST]: We're catching a shuttle to the airport. I'm still grumpy.
7:55 am, EST [5:55 am, MST]: We just checked in for our flight home. Again.
8:08 am, EST [6:08 am, MST]: We're all over the map for breakfast this morning. Grasshopper is very fond of the Egg McMuffin with hash browns and orange Juice. Mr. Bug just wants juice and LadyBug wants doughnuts. I want something without dairy, so I'm getting Panda Express — String Bean Chicken and Chow Mein.
8:26 am, EST [6:26 am, MST]: People with food in their stomachs are much more pleasant.
9:03 am, EST [7:03 am, MST]: We made it through the TSA Security Check again, and hopefully for the last time for a good long while. Boarding starts at 9:30. I'm so glad to be heading home.
9:22 am, EST [7:22 am, MST]: Wait. What's this? The flight has been bumped back to noon. All of my toiletries are in my checked bag, which is who knows where, and I'm wearing the same clothes and undies as yesterday. But at least I still have my carry-on, which has a few small items that will keep me entertained.
9:47 am, EST [7:47 am, MST]: . . . waiting . . .
10:33 am, EST [8:33 am, MST]: . . . still waiting . . .
11:00 am, EST [9:00 am, MST]: The airline employee just announced that we are probably going to depart at noon and they will make further announcements. We surmised as much from the display board.
11:16 am, EST [9:16 am, MST]: . . . and more waiting . . .
11:50 am, EST [9:50 am, MST]: The airline employee just announced that maintenance has asked for a few more minutes and to please be patient while they finish up. I'm beginning to wonder if this is the same plane as last night.
12:09 pm, EST [10:09 am, MST]: The airline employee announced that they are doing a taxi test and if everything is OK, we can begin boarding. Now it is hurry-up-and-wait.
Disembodied Voice on the overhead speaker: The local time is 12:30 pm. I don't think that is helping.
12:39 pm, EST [10:39 am, MST]: LadyBug and I have decided to get something to eat from Burger King. Mr. Bug and Grasshopper declined, but they'll be sorry when we get back with our food.
12:52 pm, EST [10:52 am, MST]: I was right. Grasshopper wants pizza. I told Mr. Bug that they probably have plenty of time to go get something.
1:17 pm, EST [11:17 am, MST]: I was right again. We've all eaten, thrown out our trash, been to the restroom, washed our hands, checked to make sure we had our luggage and finally they are starting to board.
1:31 pm, EST [11:31 pm, MST]: We are on board, ready for take-off. We hope. Apparently, a light was out on the dash and legally the plane couldn't take off without it. It was a tricky thing to fix — the light that is; there's absolutely nothing wrong with the plane — but it's all good and we're on our way.
3:58 pm, CST [2:58 pm, MST]: Touch-down in Dallas Ft/Worth; we were re-routed slightly mid-flight. That, combined with the huge delay in leaving, caused us to miss our rescheduled, rescheduled, rescheduled connecting flight. It left 30 minutes ago. Once again, I'm a little annoyed.
4:04 pm, CST [3:04 pm, MST]: We're waiting to get up to the gate — there is a fire truck with flashing lights parked where we need to park. How many things can go wrong in one 24-hour period?
4:23 pm, CST [3:23 pm, MST]: They found us a new gate. As we came out, we asked the airline employee at the podium for help in changing our connecting flight. She told us we'd have to go two gates down for that because they needed to start boarding the next flight. I have a lot of not very nice things to say about that.
4:33 pm, CST [3:33 pm, MST]: We found our way two gates down. Our next flight is at 6:40 pm. Yeeehaw. More waiting. I can't wait!
4:34 pm, CST [4:34 pm, MST]: Mr. Bug just told me he must be at his limit for all of this because he nearly bit the head off the woman who declined to help us. That is saying a lot. Mr. Bug is probably the most patient person I know. I'm amused with the prospect and frankly, would have liked to see that.
5:33 pm, CST [4:33 pm, MST]: I've pretty much had it for the day too. I managed to get another food voucher from the less than sympathetic and completely unhelpful airline employees. We're waiting for our order now.
6:13 pm, CST [5:13 pm, MST]: We are now boarding. We're all crossing our fingers for no more mechanical malfunctions today.
8:00 pm, MST Touchdown in good old Salt Lake City. Let there be no further difficulty in finding our checked bag and let us get home quickly.
8:36 pm, MST Bag acquired, shuttle to parking boarded. Let's not jinx this, but we might make it home before 10:00 pm.
10:27 pm, MST We made it with nothing eventful to report. I'll be so glad to sleep in my own bed tonight. I just opened the suitcase and something exploded in one of the toiletry bags. From the smell of it, I'd say conditioner. I'm not even going to think about it until tomorrow. I've had enough adventures for one day.
Showing posts with label Mechanical Malfunctions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mechanical Malfunctions. Show all posts
Friday, January 24, 2014
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Walt Disney World Day 6: So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Good Bye
There is no real ending. It’s just the place where you stop the story. –Frank Herbert
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Destination: A Quick Trip To Epcot and Then Home
Weather Forecast: High of 61˚
11:15 am, EST [9:15 am, MST]: This morning was another slow start. We're all really tired. I'm not sure how many miles we've walked, but there was a lot of walking. It would have been fun to bring a pedometer. I'll have to remember that for next time. Anyway, it was a slow start and then a mad dash from about 10:15 on to get everything packed and ready for check out.
11:31 am, EST [9:31 am, MST]: We've dropped our checked bag off with the Magical Express luggage service, which will take it to the airport for us. And we're leaving our carry-on luggage with their bag storage facility. They'll hold on to them until it is time to leave for the airport.
11:40 am, EST [9:40 am, MST]: We're catching a shuttle to Epcot to spend a few more hours there. We already did pretty much everything there, except for Soarin', which we don't really have time for today. Simulator rides make me queasy anyway, even with Dramamine {Sidebar: I've always gotten a little motion sick riding in cars but over the last few years, things that did not used to bother me kind of do now}.
12:14 pm, EST [10:14 am, MST]: Lunch today is at Les Chefs de France. Charlotte, at the hostess stand, is from France. Now that I look at the name tags and catch bits of conversations, nearly everyone who works here is from France. Our garçon charmant {charming waiter}, Teo, is from Montpellier, in the South of France. I happen to know where in France Montpellier is located because Mr. Bug served an LDS Mission in the South of France and one of the cities he lived in was Montpellier. I had planned on asking Mr. Bug if he was going to say anything to the waiter after he'd gone to get drinks, but he beat me to the punch and told Teo, in French, that he lived in Montpellier. They had a small conversation, which I got the gist of and then Teo turned to me and asked if I also spoke French. I told him I did not, but spoke Portuguese. To be honest, I was very nervous to eat in a fancy French restaurant because I've heard that the French . . . don't like Americans too much. But everyone has been given their best Disney spit and polish and what Disney does best is hospitality. This is my specially prepared dairy-free dessert. Is it not gorgeous? It tastes as good as it looks.
1:40 pm, EST [11:20 am, MST]: We had to do the requisite milling about. It was our last chance. And bathroom breaks, of course. We also made a last-minute Disney Trading Pin purchase for LadyBug. She had to have a few Stitch pins.
2:16 pm, EST [12:16 pm, MST]: We're right on schedule in catching a shuttle back to the hotel.
2:28 pm, EST [12:28 pm, MST]: We have just enough time to get our bags from the storage area and get to the motor coach that will take us back to the airport.
2:40 pm, EST [12:40 pm, MST]: We're on our way to the airport. We'll have to stop and pick up passengers at the Riverside resort as well and then it is about 30 minutes to the airport.
3:42 pm, EST [1:42 pm, MST]: We made it to the Orlando International airport. Our flight doesn't leave for two hours. Maybe do can do some milling about.
4:34 pm, EST [2:42 pm, MST]: After a peek in at the Universal Studios gift shop {where I met a young boy, maybe 12 years old, who was from Brasil. I was looking at the wands from Harry Potter and he started telling me about which ones he had. I recognized his accent and told him that I speak Portuguese. We had a little conversation and then we were both on our way} and a bit more milling about, we are at our gate. By the way, the TSA Security Check gets two thumbs down from me. I'm SO glad that's the last time I have to do that for a while.
5:45 pm, EST [3:45 pm, MST]: Our plane should be departing right now but there are lots of people around the podium still and they haven't even called to start boarding. I guess they are trying to fit standby passengers from the last flight onto this one. They've also announced that they will do a complimentary bag check for anyone who wants to send their carry-on along to their final destination. I really think we should check a couple of bags, but Mr. Bug and the Not-So-Little Bugs are against it.
6:06 pm, EST [4:06 pm, MST]: Our flight is finally boarding but we had so much fun that we've decided to stay. We're getting jobs at Disney and we're going to live here. Only kidding. Sort of. We're in our seats anyway.
6:17 pm, EST [4:17 pm, MST]: This is a newer plane with view screens that lower from the overhead compartments. They are having technical difficulties with the FAA Safety video. They are scrambling to find the right props and script so they can show us how to fasten our seat belts, where the exits are and how to use the air bags should there be a sudden drop in cabin pressure the old-fashioned way. It is kind of funny.
6:20 pm, EST [4:20 pm, MST]: Actually, we might be staying after all. The captain just announced that there are some technical difficulties with the yaw dampener. We're taxiing back to the gate so maintenance can have a look. The captain asked everyone to just sit tight for a few minutes.
6:34 pm, EST [4:34 pm, MST]: We're back at the gate and maintenance is looking into the problem. I'm getting kind of anxious because I don't know how long we have in Dallas before we have to catch our connecting flight.
6:42 pm, EST [4:42 pm, MST]: The aircraft is officially out of service. The captain insists that the flight would be terribly uncomfortable for everyone without a yaw dampener. The replacement plane will be leaving at 9:00 pm.
7:17 pm, EST [5:17 pm, MST]: The agent I talked to on the phone said the next flight was actually at 10:40 pm, so we got our flight changed. We're staying one more night in Orlando. We'll be leaving at 8:35 tomorrow morning and arriving in Salt Lake at 1:40 pm.
7:53 pm, EST [5:53 pm, MST]: I got vouchers for meals and a hotel tonight squared away with the airline. I'm really kind of bummed. We could have spent a whole other day at Disney.
8:24 pm, EST [6:46 pm, MST]: We're sitting down to dinner at the Macaroni Grill, compliments {mostly} of the airline.
9:13 pm, EST [7:13 pm, MST]: Now we're trying to find transportation to the hotel. I heard a rumor about a shuttle somewhere. The only thing I can see is the Disney Magical Express area. Maybe I'll just go and ask over there. We're not staying with them anymore, but I'm sure they would be nice enough to help.
10:03 pm, EST [8:03 pm, MST]: Sure enough. The greeter at the Disney Magical Express knew exactly what to do and was very nice about it. We got to the hotel, but one thing is for sure: we're not in Disney anymore. On the plus side, the toilet paper isn't tissue paper thin {I don't think I mentioned this before. The toilet paper is the only thing that isn't hospitable about Disney. Oh, and the toilets flush at full hurricane force.}. On the minus side there are two double beds. On the plus side, they're not hard as bricks.
10:19 pm, EST [8:19 pm, MST]: It's going to be an early morning tomorrow. Lights out.
Thursday, January 23, 2014
Destination: A Quick Trip To Epcot and Then Home
Weather Forecast: High of 61˚
11:15 am, EST [9:15 am, MST]: This morning was another slow start. We're all really tired. I'm not sure how many miles we've walked, but there was a lot of walking. It would have been fun to bring a pedometer. I'll have to remember that for next time. Anyway, it was a slow start and then a mad dash from about 10:15 on to get everything packed and ready for check out.
11:31 am, EST [9:31 am, MST]: We've dropped our checked bag off with the Magical Express luggage service, which will take it to the airport for us. And we're leaving our carry-on luggage with their bag storage facility. They'll hold on to them until it is time to leave for the airport.
11:40 am, EST [9:40 am, MST]: We're catching a shuttle to Epcot to spend a few more hours there. We already did pretty much everything there, except for Soarin', which we don't really have time for today. Simulator rides make me queasy anyway, even with Dramamine {Sidebar: I've always gotten a little motion sick riding in cars but over the last few years, things that did not used to bother me kind of do now}.
2:28 pm, EST [12:28 pm, MST]: We have just enough time to get our bags from the storage area and get to the motor coach that will take us back to the airport.
2:40 pm, EST [12:40 pm, MST]: We're on our way to the airport. We'll have to stop and pick up passengers at the Riverside resort as well and then it is about 30 minutes to the airport.
3:42 pm, EST [1:42 pm, MST]: We made it to the Orlando International airport. Our flight doesn't leave for two hours. Maybe do can do some milling about.
4:34 pm, EST [2:42 pm, MST]: After a peek in at the Universal Studios gift shop {where I met a young boy, maybe 12 years old, who was from Brasil. I was looking at the wands from Harry Potter and he started telling me about which ones he had. I recognized his accent and told him that I speak Portuguese. We had a little conversation and then we were both on our way} and a bit more milling about, we are at our gate. By the way, the TSA Security Check gets two thumbs down from me. I'm SO glad that's the last time I have to do that for a while.
5:45 pm, EST [3:45 pm, MST]: Our plane should be departing right now but there are lots of people around the podium still and they haven't even called to start boarding. I guess they are trying to fit standby passengers from the last flight onto this one. They've also announced that they will do a complimentary bag check for anyone who wants to send their carry-on along to their final destination. I really think we should check a couple of bags, but Mr. Bug and the Not-So-Little Bugs are against it.
6:06 pm, EST [4:06 pm, MST]: Our flight is finally boarding but we had so much fun that we've decided to stay. We're getting jobs at Disney and we're going to live here. Only kidding. Sort of. We're in our seats anyway.
6:17 pm, EST [4:17 pm, MST]: This is a newer plane with view screens that lower from the overhead compartments. They are having technical difficulties with the FAA Safety video. They are scrambling to find the right props and script so they can show us how to fasten our seat belts, where the exits are and how to use the air bags should there be a sudden drop in cabin pressure the old-fashioned way. It is kind of funny.
6:20 pm, EST [4:20 pm, MST]: Actually, we might be staying after all. The captain just announced that there are some technical difficulties with the yaw dampener. We're taxiing back to the gate so maintenance can have a look. The captain asked everyone to just sit tight for a few minutes.
6:34 pm, EST [4:34 pm, MST]: We're back at the gate and maintenance is looking into the problem. I'm getting kind of anxious because I don't know how long we have in Dallas before we have to catch our connecting flight.
6:42 pm, EST [4:42 pm, MST]: The aircraft is officially out of service. The captain insists that the flight would be terribly uncomfortable for everyone without a yaw dampener. The replacement plane will be leaving at 9:00 pm.
7:17 pm, EST [5:17 pm, MST]: The agent I talked to on the phone said the next flight was actually at 10:40 pm, so we got our flight changed. We're staying one more night in Orlando. We'll be leaving at 8:35 tomorrow morning and arriving in Salt Lake at 1:40 pm.
7:53 pm, EST [5:53 pm, MST]: I got vouchers for meals and a hotel tonight squared away with the airline. I'm really kind of bummed. We could have spent a whole other day at Disney.
8:24 pm, EST [6:46 pm, MST]: We're sitting down to dinner at the Macaroni Grill, compliments {mostly} of the airline.
9:13 pm, EST [7:13 pm, MST]: Now we're trying to find transportation to the hotel. I heard a rumor about a shuttle somewhere. The only thing I can see is the Disney Magical Express area. Maybe I'll just go and ask over there. We're not staying with them anymore, but I'm sure they would be nice enough to help.
10:03 pm, EST [8:03 pm, MST]: Sure enough. The greeter at the Disney Magical Express knew exactly what to do and was very nice about it. We got to the hotel, but one thing is for sure: we're not in Disney anymore. On the plus side, the toilet paper isn't tissue paper thin {I don't think I mentioned this before. The toilet paper is the only thing that isn't hospitable about Disney. Oh, and the toilets flush at full hurricane force.}. On the minus side there are two double beds. On the plus side, they're not hard as bricks.
10:19 pm, EST [8:19 pm, MST]: It's going to be an early morning tomorrow. Lights out.
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Walt Disney World Day 2: A Bug's Life
Isn’t it a bit surprising
How one’s fortunes ebb and flow;
And only to the enterprising
Does the magic fortune cookie go?
Believe me,
It’s the time of your life so live it well.
–Randy Newman, It's The Time of Your Life from A Bug's Life
How one’s fortunes ebb and flow;
And only to the enterprising
Does the magic fortune cookie go?
Believe me,
It’s the time of your life so live it well.
–Randy Newman, It's The Time of Your Life from A Bug's Life
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Destination: Animal Kingdom
Weather Forecast: High of 64˚
7:45 am, EST [5:45 am, MST]: Too. Early. To. Wake. Up.
8:30 am, EST [6:30 am, MST]: Still too early . . .
10:30 am, EST [8:30 am, MST]: A little sleeping in on vacation is in order, but it's time to get up already.
11:57 am, EST [9:57 am, MST]: Bathing and dressing accomplished. Clothes unpacked {Sidebar: I never unpack on vacation. It just seems weird to put my clothes in someone else's drawer, but I thought this might be the easiest way to keep track of what is clean and what is dirty. If it's in the drawer — which, by the way, are nice and big; Mr Bug and I can fit all our clothes for 6 days in one drawer and there's plenty of room left over — it's clean. After you've worn it, put it in the suitcase. Folded. And don't wear it again.}. Room organized so the maid doesn't trip over luggage.
12:40 pm, EST [10:40 am, MST]: We're waiting for the shuttle to the Animal Kingdom park. I'm so excited to be here I can hardly contain myself.
1:00 pm, EST [11:00 am, MST]: The shuttle is {finally} here. Have I mentioned? This is so awesome!
2:26 pm, EST [12:26 pm, MST]: Park entry achieved {after you tap your MagicBand on the Mickey scanner, they scan your fingerprint so if you loose your MagicBand no one else can use it to get into the park}, locker secured, Disney Trading Pin purchased, photos snapped, milling about aimlessly accomplished and various bathroom breaks taken.
4:40 pm, EST [2:40 pm, MST]: Giraffic jam navigated,
4:45 pm, EST [2:45 pm, MST]: Our Expedition Everest FastPasses are available. Look out, Yeti! Here we come!
4:52 pm, EST [2:52 pm, MST]: That was totally awesome — among my top 5 favorite roller coasters of all time. When Mr. Bug and I came here a few years back, this was the first ride we rode. It was a short wait, so we got off and got right back in line for it. Also, it is as I suspected earlier, but tried to ignore anyway. That is a migraine. And the roller coaster made it worse. I will be so embarrassed if I have to throw up in a garbage can at The Magic Kingdom.
4:57 pm, EST [2:57 pm, MST] I managed to hold it together long enough to get a Coke, which is helping to settle my stomach and will hopefully, in combination with a little medication, put this headache to rest. Also, I hope this isn't going to be a vacation-long thing.
5:01 pm, EST [3:01 pm, MST]: Our next FastPass isn't until 6:30 pm. The Not-So-Little Bugs are loosing enthusiasm {their feet hurt despite the expensive sneakers we bought them} and according to the nifty Disney app, the wait time isn't too long, so we're going to stand in line for DINOSAUR.
6:30 pm, EST [4:30 pm, MST]: While we were waiting in line, something went wrong and they closed the ride for about 20 minutes, which caused our FastPasses to get cancelled anyway, so it was a good call that we got in line. While we waited, we sat on the floor and formulated a plan to soak our feet and do foot massages upon arrival at our hotel. We are now going to the Yak & Yeti to see if they will let us bump up our 7:30 reservations and squeeze us in sooner.
6:37 pm, EST [4:37 pm, MST]: The people at The Yak & Yeti were very kind and they've seated us early. While we were waiting for the verdict, LadyBug squished a penny in a hand-crank machine. It was fun.
8:03 pm, EST [6:03 pm, MST]: Dinner was absolutely delicious. They were very accommodating in making sure there was no dairy in my food {Sidebar: avoiding dairy at home is a hassle. On vacation, it is double. I have to trust that they are reading labels and not just assuming. So far, OK.}. Mr. Bug and I ate here, too, when we were here a few years back and it was as good as we remembered. We're headed back to the shuttle to take us to the hotel now.
11:58 pm, EST [9:58 pm, MST]: I found a really nice peppermint-y smelling foot lotion in the hotel gift shop. We all soaked our feet in the tub and then I used the lotion to rub our feet. Much better. My headache is gone, I made dining reservations for the rest of our trip and then made some tweaks to our scheduled FastPass selections. Bedtime. It is curious to have jumped two whole time zones forward. I want to get up and going first thing in the morning, but "first thing" here is way before "first thing" at home. And I'm not a morning person to begin with. But after a day filled with walking and more walking, getting to bed "early" doesn't seem to be a problem. But then again, "early" at home is way later than "early" here.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Random Bits: Vol. 10
A destiny is not realized until we let go of the illusion of control.
–Master Oogway, Kung Fu Panda
Getting Warmer
With a little help from Melissa at Sew Shabby Quilting, the quilt I've been working on for a friend is right on track to be finished and delivered on time for her birthday tomorrow.
I started this quilt a little over six weeks ago, but have been bouncing back and forth between projects trying to get something finished. {You think I might have figured out by now that picking one thing and sticking to it would get me to “finished” a little faster.} My friend had a pretty serious health issue, which included a trip to the hospital. I wanted to do something special for her during her recovery and I was thinking I could throw together a simple quilt and get it to her in a week. Not so much. The quilt pattern wasn't as simple as I thought {especially since I didn't actually buy the pattern, but sort of reverse engineered it from the photo and dimensions listed} and I debated back and forth about sending it out for quilting to get it done quickly. In the end, to take some stress off I decided to make it a birthday gift, and put it aside to work on other pressing projects thinking I had all the time in the world to get it done.
But at the beginning of last week, I realized I only had two weeks to finish it. Last Saturday, with one week to go and the borders to put on the top and bottom and back to piece, I was really feeling stressed about having enough time to get it done. In desperation, I called Melissa and asked if she could help. She kindly accommodated my rush order and did a lovely job with the quilting. I picked an all-over pattern, dropped my quilt off and in a few days, I had it back, ready to be bound, washed to crinkly softness and given away.
The two voices, Reason {a.k.a. What I Can Do} and Passion {a.k.a. Go Big or Go Home}, are still arguing in my head. Passion says I should have done the quilting {edge-to-edge is usually not my first choice; I think it often masks the piecing. I like to “color inside the lines” and try to quilt a design that accents the piecing}. Reason says that there is no way I would have had time to get the quilting done {especially since I've had a migraine since last Friday night. I'm hoping it is finally gone, but the jury is still out} and finished is better than perfect.
I must pause here to say that Melissa did a great job on the quilting. Her prices are very, very reasonable, she was seriously awesome to work with and the quilting is beautiful. Would I recommend her quilting services? Absolutely. Especially if edge-to-edge is what you're after. Will I use her again? Definitely. I have at least one quilt in the pipeline that is a great candidate for edge-to-edge.
The tug-of-war going on here is my choice to have edge-to-edge quilting done on a quilt that might have been better served with a custom job. The choice to send it out for quilting lifted a huge amount of stress off of me and made it possible to have it finished in time for my friend's birthday. Although I'm not 100% certain, I think the trade-off might have been worth it. At any rate, I'm hoping it will all come out in the wash.
Getting Colder
On Tuesday, we had a new air conditioning unit installed. I like to be prepared.
OK. The real story is that we needed to have our furnace replaced. Last winter was the coldest we've had in as long as I can remember. We kind of limped along with our furnace and had a few times where we wore multiple sweaters and borrowed space heaters while we waited for our repair man to come and fix it. Just when we thought we'd made it through winter and were well into spring, we had one more week-long cold spell and the furnace left us, well, out in the cold. We decided we'd better have it replaced.
But once it turned warm again, it wasn't such a pressing issue. The air-conditioned summer months lulled us into a sense of false security. But the temperatures have dropped early this year {I'm hoping we're not in for another deep-freeze of a winter, but I've heard rumors that it has already snowed in some areas} and we had to get out the space heaters and sweaters again. And the time was ripe to replace the furnace.
As it turned out, though, it was the air conditioner's fault that we needed a new furnace. It has something to do with the coil and condensation and rust dripping down into the furnace. They offered to knock $500 of the cost of labor on top of the pretty fabulous discount we negotiated through our handy, dandy repair man. We decided it would be in our best interest to just do it all at once.
The new furnace is chugging along and we're all toasty warm. It's just too bad we didn't replace the furnace in the spring because, we could have saved quite a bit of money on the electric bill this summer, since in this case it was a package deal.
Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascending
The Piano Guys are at it again. This time on the Great Wall of China. Seriously. Check it out. And if you're wondering how they got the piano on The Wall, check this out.
Available for purchase from The Piano Guys or on iTunes
–Master Oogway, Kung Fu Panda
Getting Warmer
With a little help from Melissa at Sew Shabby Quilting, the quilt I've been working on for a friend is right on track to be finished and delivered on time for her birthday tomorrow.
I started this quilt a little over six weeks ago, but have been bouncing back and forth between projects trying to get something finished. {You think I might have figured out by now that picking one thing and sticking to it would get me to “finished” a little faster.} My friend had a pretty serious health issue, which included a trip to the hospital. I wanted to do something special for her during her recovery and I was thinking I could throw together a simple quilt and get it to her in a week. Not so much. The quilt pattern wasn't as simple as I thought {especially since I didn't actually buy the pattern, but sort of reverse engineered it from the photo and dimensions listed} and I debated back and forth about sending it out for quilting to get it done quickly. In the end, to take some stress off I decided to make it a birthday gift, and put it aside to work on other pressing projects thinking I had all the time in the world to get it done.
But at the beginning of last week, I realized I only had two weeks to finish it. Last Saturday, with one week to go and the borders to put on the top and bottom and back to piece, I was really feeling stressed about having enough time to get it done. In desperation, I called Melissa and asked if she could help. She kindly accommodated my rush order and did a lovely job with the quilting. I picked an all-over pattern, dropped my quilt off and in a few days, I had it back, ready to be bound, washed to crinkly softness and given away.
The two voices, Reason {a.k.a. What I Can Do} and Passion {a.k.a. Go Big or Go Home}, are still arguing in my head. Passion says I should have done the quilting {edge-to-edge is usually not my first choice; I think it often masks the piecing. I like to “color inside the lines” and try to quilt a design that accents the piecing}. Reason says that there is no way I would have had time to get the quilting done {especially since I've had a migraine since last Friday night. I'm hoping it is finally gone, but the jury is still out} and finished is better than perfect.
I must pause here to say that Melissa did a great job on the quilting. Her prices are very, very reasonable, she was seriously awesome to work with and the quilting is beautiful. Would I recommend her quilting services? Absolutely. Especially if edge-to-edge is what you're after. Will I use her again? Definitely. I have at least one quilt in the pipeline that is a great candidate for edge-to-edge.
The tug-of-war going on here is my choice to have edge-to-edge quilting done on a quilt that might have been better served with a custom job. The choice to send it out for quilting lifted a huge amount of stress off of me and made it possible to have it finished in time for my friend's birthday. Although I'm not 100% certain, I think the trade-off might have been worth it. At any rate, I'm hoping it will all come out in the wash.
Getting Colder
On Tuesday, we had a new air conditioning unit installed. I like to be prepared.
OK. The real story is that we needed to have our furnace replaced. Last winter was the coldest we've had in as long as I can remember. We kind of limped along with our furnace and had a few times where we wore multiple sweaters and borrowed space heaters while we waited for our repair man to come and fix it. Just when we thought we'd made it through winter and were well into spring, we had one more week-long cold spell and the furnace left us, well, out in the cold. We decided we'd better have it replaced.
But once it turned warm again, it wasn't such a pressing issue. The air-conditioned summer months lulled us into a sense of false security. But the temperatures have dropped early this year {I'm hoping we're not in for another deep-freeze of a winter, but I've heard rumors that it has already snowed in some areas} and we had to get out the space heaters and sweaters again. And the time was ripe to replace the furnace.
As it turned out, though, it was the air conditioner's fault that we needed a new furnace. It has something to do with the coil and condensation and rust dripping down into the furnace. They offered to knock $500 of the cost of labor on top of the pretty fabulous discount we negotiated through our handy, dandy repair man. We decided it would be in our best interest to just do it all at once.
The new furnace is chugging along and we're all toasty warm. It's just too bad we didn't replace the furnace in the spring because, we could have saved quite a bit of money on the electric bill this summer, since in this case it was a package deal.
Kung Fu Piano: Cello Ascending
The Piano Guys are at it again. This time on the Great Wall of China. Seriously. Check it out. And if you're wondering how they got the piano on The Wall, check this out.
Available for purchase from The Piano Guys or on iTunes
Monday, August 19, 2013
Grandma Week 2013: Day 5, Lagoon — Let Fun Reign
A well adjusted person is one who makes the same mistake twice without getting nervous. –Alexander Hamilton
Half my lifetime ago, I worked at an amusement park right here in Utah. It was the best job I ever had {well, maybe I've romanticized it a bit, but I loved working there}. During this time I developed somewhat of an unfortunate habit of locking my keys in my car. It happened enough that I kept an extra set of keys at work and my parents had an extra set in case I locked my keys in the car somewhere other than at work.
I must have been channeling my 20 year-old self in anticipation for our Grandma Week trip to Lagoon because when I got home yesterday afternoon I locked my keys in my car. I didn't discover it until it was time to go today, which was after Mr. Bug and his key to my vehicle had already gone to work. Not having a spare set of keys at home and the need to get to our last Grandma Week activity of 2013 kind of fried the circuits in my brain. I called Mr. Bug, who is almost always calm and collected and he suggested I call the police department and see if they could recommend a locksmith, or if they might do it themselves. I did. They would. And two officers came and unlocked my car.
I then discovered that not only had I left the keys in the ignition, I'd left them turned half-way on and the battery was dead. So, I called Mr. Bug again. Still his calm, cool and collected self, he reminded me that we have a fully charged car battery that he bought to use to power his CPAP machine when he goes camping with Grasshopper, but also for a back-up power source in case of emergencies. Such as when his wife locks her keys in the car and runs the battery down. {Sidebar: Mr. Bug made the comment, "boy you must have been tired when you got home yesterday. You've never done this before." I blame the migraine.} I hooked up the jumper cables, got the car started and we were on our way.
We had lots of fun. Most unfortunately, my mom {a.k.a. The Grandma in Grandma Week} sustained a small injury while rollerskating on Saturday and wasn't able to make it to Lagoon. My sister, Robin and her husband, Jeremy, came and so did my brother, Andrew, and his wife, Ellen, in addition to my other two sisters, Julie and Jill, and their kids. We're quite the crew.
Lagoon has evolved quite a bit in the last 20 years. It has changed from a stationary carnival to almost a proper amusement park, complete with overpriced concessions {overpriced everything, really},seven eight roller coasters and several dozen other rides and attractions. They even have a teacup ride, new this year.
We pretty much rode until we dropped. Julie and her crew and I with my two were pretty much the last ones out of the park at 10:30 pm, despite the fact that we both had to be up early to get back to real life the next morning.
Thank you, Grandma, for a fun week! We can't wait until next year!
Half my lifetime ago, I worked at an amusement park right here in Utah. It was the best job I ever had {well, maybe I've romanticized it a bit, but I loved working there}. During this time I developed somewhat of an unfortunate habit of locking my keys in my car. It happened enough that I kept an extra set of keys at work and my parents had an extra set in case I locked my keys in the car somewhere other than at work.
I must have been channeling my 20 year-old self in anticipation for our Grandma Week trip to Lagoon because when I got home yesterday afternoon I locked my keys in my car. I didn't discover it until it was time to go today, which was after Mr. Bug and his key to my vehicle had already gone to work. Not having a spare set of keys at home and the need to get to our last Grandma Week activity of 2013 kind of fried the circuits in my brain. I called Mr. Bug, who is almost always calm and collected and he suggested I call the police department and see if they could recommend a locksmith, or if they might do it themselves. I did. They would. And two officers came and unlocked my car.
I then discovered that not only had I left the keys in the ignition, I'd left them turned half-way on and the battery was dead. So, I called Mr. Bug again. Still his calm, cool and collected self, he reminded me that we have a fully charged car battery that he bought to use to power his CPAP machine when he goes camping with Grasshopper, but also for a back-up power source in case of emergencies. Such as when his wife locks her keys in the car and runs the battery down. {Sidebar: Mr. Bug made the comment, "boy you must have been tired when you got home yesterday. You've never done this before." I blame the migraine.} I hooked up the jumper cables, got the car started and we were on our way.
 |
| {Top Left: Keys discovered locked in the car Top Right: The police arrive to get the keys out Middle Right: These guys aren't Gone in 60 Seconds Bottom Right: Resorting to the Slim Jim Bottom Left: Brand spanking new jumper cables and a back-up battery to get the party started} |
We had lots of fun. Most unfortunately, my mom {a.k.a. The Grandma in Grandma Week} sustained a small injury while rollerskating on Saturday and wasn't able to make it to Lagoon. My sister, Robin and her husband, Jeremy, came and so did my brother, Andrew, and his wife, Ellen, in addition to my other two sisters, Julie and Jill, and their kids. We're quite the crew.
 |
| {Top Left: Frog, Julie, Cap'n Underpants, Mantis, Miss Butterfly, Grasshopper & LadyBug Center Left: Cricket, Jill, Toad & Lizard Boy Right: Cricket, LadyBug & Grasshopper Bottom: Grasshopper, Toad, Andrew, Ellen, Mantis, Jeremy, Cap'n Underpants, Robin} |
Lagoon has evolved quite a bit in the last 20 years. It has changed from a stationary carnival to almost a proper amusement park, complete with overpriced concessions {overpriced everything, really},
 |
| {Top Left: Jeremy & Robin on the Paratrooper (ferris wheel on an angle) Center Left: Capn' Underpants on Scamper (little bumper cars) Bottom Left: Lizard Boy & Toad on the Dinosaur Drop Top Right Grasshopper, Andrew & Ellen on the Tipsey Tea Cups Bottom Center: Toad & Julie on The Bat (suspension coaster) Bottom Right: Toad on Scamper} |
We pretty much rode until we dropped. Julie and her crew and I with my two were pretty much the last ones out of the park at 10:30 pm, despite the fact that we both had to be up early to get back to real life the next morning.
 |
| {Top Left: Miss Butterfly & LadyBug on the Paratrooper Second Left: Frog on Scamper Third Left: Robin & Jeremy on The Bat Top Right: Capn' Underpants & Lizard Boy on The Bat Center Left: Selfie (me) and Lizard Boy on the Wooden Roller Coaster Bottom Left: Toad, Lizard Boy and me on the walkway in line for Bombora Bottom Right: LadyBug, Jeremy & Miss Butterfly on the Tipsey Tea Cups} |
Thank you, Grandma, for a fun week! We can't wait until next year!
Monday, November 5, 2012
Random Bits: Vol 4
After enlightenment, the laundry. –Zen Proverb
A Return-to-Standard-Time Miracle
Daylight savings time is not one of my favorite things. To be honest, I think it is the stupidest thing ever. I mean, just pick one and stick with it, already. I loathe losing an hour every spring and look forward to getting my hour back every fall. I wonder if it is because I was born during Standard Time and Daylight Savings Time throws my internal clock out of balance?
Anyway, with my extra hour this year, I decided to fold laundry. It seemed like a responsible thing to do. And as far as chores go, laundry is one of the ones I mind the least. I keep a lone-man sock pile at the bottom of my laundry basket and every time I wash socks, I hope that the lone-man sock pile is gone when I've finished folding. It never is. Ever. I've had a lone-man sock pile since 1996. Sometimes, when a lone-man sock has been in the basket for about three years and I'm absolutely sure that I'm never going to find its mate, I'll throw it out. But there are always two or three other lone-man socks left hanging around. Except for this time. The stars aligned on Saturday night and every. single. sock had a mate. It's a miracle! It can only be because we got that hour back.
And I can not tell you how happy I am to have finally beaten the lone-man sock pile.
A Quilt So Nice I Had to Make it Twice
Remember Pinkalicious? The quilt I made for my sister's sweet new baby girl? Well it was so much fun to make and I thought it would be just as much fun to make one in blue. When I found out a good friend of mine was expecting her first baby I knew that's the quilt I wanted to make for her. We've been friends since the 8th grade. She wasn't married until she was in her mid-thirties and has struggled with infertility for several years. Her little miracle arrived about three weeks ago, which was about six weeks ahead of schedule. I've got the top finished and if he'd have waited a few more weeks, I might have had it quilted in time for his arrival.
I Wove When I Should Have Dodged
In 30+ years of sewing, I've never sewn my finger. I hear about people doing it and wonder how the heck they manage it. I mean, there are sharp moving parts in there. It just seems like a common sense kind of thing to keep your finger out of the way. But I sewed my finger {about three weeks ago now} and I thought my stupidity deserved a little world-wide web airtime.
Grace is a pedal-free machine. She has a pedal, and I used it once for about 10 minutes, but it didn't respond to subtle movements, so I tossed it into the back of the closet and use the stop/start button. And here's how I sewed my finger. I had the auto-backstitch on and pressed go. It sews at a snail's pace for the backstitch and the loose end of the top thread was kind of getting pulled into the stitches, which makes a little bird's nest on the back. Instead of stopping the machine to pull the thread tight, I decided that I could reach in there really quick while the machine was going slow to pull the thread out of the way. And the needle nicked my thumb. It didn't hurt much and healed really quickly. But the worst part about it was how hobbled I felt with a band-aid on there to keep it from bleeding.
Lesson learned.
The Piano Guys: Titanium/Pavane
The Piano Guys have a new album out. This is the first track and it is, as always, amazing.
Available for purchase from The Piano Guys, at Amazon or on iTunes.
Vocal Version
Story behind the song:
Have you ever awakened with a melody in your head and you don't know how it got there? That was the beginning of our PianoGuys' version of David Guetta's "Titanium (feat. Sia)." Paul especially loved this tune — he lobbied us to arrange the song, but after we could not find a way to begin the arrangement. Every time we tried it just didn't flow. We also were concerned that the hook of the tune was nothing but the beat
and lacked a lead melody, which would make it more difficult to convey with piano and cello. Steve woke one morning and couldn't get a melody out of his head. It was Gabriel Faure's "Pavane" — a hauntingly beautiful melody that weaves in and out of richly sequenced harmonies and fluid counter-melodies. It had been a favorite of his as a child, but he hadn't heard it for years. In the studio that same morning we tried the melody over the top of the chorus of David' Guetta's Titanium and it was like witnessing a reunion of two childhood friends. The main melody of the Pavane and its supporting chords, transposed and changed stylistically to mimic Guetta, also fit nicely as the intro we had been searching for. And we thought since Guetta and Faure are both French it must have been meant to be!
If you're not familiar with "Pavane" Listen to a version of Bobby McFerrin singing it with La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra. (As a boy Steve heard this very version live in concert and it evidently had an indelible impression on him!)
Classical music is such a big part of who we, ThePianoGuys, are. You can hear it in everything we write. We love pairing it with the music of today.
This was the most difficult music video to set the "stage" for thus far. We considered so many locations — a copper mine, a steel mill, an industry factory, a mountaintop ski resort, a wildflower meadow, a desert bluff, and many others. As you know we love putting pianos and cellos in crazy places (a common comment is 'how the heck did they get the piano up there??') — places that show off breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. When Mark Wade with Garfield County's Department of Tourism called and offered full creative access to its national parks we abandoned all of our tabled ideas and focused on showcasing Bryce Canyon National Park — an incredible place of raw beauty and geological history written in rock. It is a place like no other. We feel so blessed to have been able to film there.
This video features a NEW STEEL cello made by Dawson Swan: Thor II — with significant improvements over Thor I. It's lighter, easier to play and it looks awesome! Dawson is an incredible artist! Check out his website here. Thank you again, Dawson!
A Return-to-Standard-Time Miracle
Daylight savings time is not one of my favorite things. To be honest, I think it is the stupidest thing ever. I mean, just pick one and stick with it, already. I loathe losing an hour every spring and look forward to getting my hour back every fall. I wonder if it is because I was born during Standard Time and Daylight Savings Time throws my internal clock out of balance?
Anyway, with my extra hour this year, I decided to fold laundry. It seemed like a responsible thing to do. And as far as chores go, laundry is one of the ones I mind the least. I keep a lone-man sock pile at the bottom of my laundry basket and every time I wash socks, I hope that the lone-man sock pile is gone when I've finished folding. It never is. Ever. I've had a lone-man sock pile since 1996. Sometimes, when a lone-man sock has been in the basket for about three years and I'm absolutely sure that I'm never going to find its mate, I'll throw it out. But there are always two or three other lone-man socks left hanging around. Except for this time. The stars aligned on Saturday night and every. single. sock had a mate. It's a miracle! It can only be because we got that hour back.
And I can not tell you how happy I am to have finally beaten the lone-man sock pile.
A Quilt So Nice I Had to Make it Twice
Remember Pinkalicious? The quilt I made for my sister's sweet new baby girl? Well it was so much fun to make and I thought it would be just as much fun to make one in blue. When I found out a good friend of mine was expecting her first baby I knew that's the quilt I wanted to make for her. We've been friends since the 8th grade. She wasn't married until she was in her mid-thirties and has struggled with infertility for several years. Her little miracle arrived about three weeks ago, which was about six weeks ahead of schedule. I've got the top finished and if he'd have waited a few more weeks, I might have had it quilted in time for his arrival.
I Wove When I Should Have Dodged
In 30+ years of sewing, I've never sewn my finger. I hear about people doing it and wonder how the heck they manage it. I mean, there are sharp moving parts in there. It just seems like a common sense kind of thing to keep your finger out of the way. But I sewed my finger {about three weeks ago now} and I thought my stupidity deserved a little world-wide web airtime.
Grace is a pedal-free machine. She has a pedal, and I used it once for about 10 minutes, but it didn't respond to subtle movements, so I tossed it into the back of the closet and use the stop/start button. And here's how I sewed my finger. I had the auto-backstitch on and pressed go. It sews at a snail's pace for the backstitch and the loose end of the top thread was kind of getting pulled into the stitches, which makes a little bird's nest on the back. Instead of stopping the machine to pull the thread tight, I decided that I could reach in there really quick while the machine was going slow to pull the thread out of the way. And the needle nicked my thumb. It didn't hurt much and healed really quickly. But the worst part about it was how hobbled I felt with a band-aid on there to keep it from bleeding.
Lesson learned.
The Piano Guys: Titanium/Pavane
The Piano Guys have a new album out. This is the first track and it is, as always, amazing.
Available for purchase from The Piano Guys, at Amazon or on iTunes.
Vocal Version
Story behind the song:
Have you ever awakened with a melody in your head and you don't know how it got there? That was the beginning of our PianoGuys' version of David Guetta's "Titanium (feat. Sia)." Paul especially loved this tune — he lobbied us to arrange the song, but after we could not find a way to begin the arrangement. Every time we tried it just didn't flow. We also were concerned that the hook of the tune was nothing but the beat
and lacked a lead melody, which would make it more difficult to convey with piano and cello. Steve woke one morning and couldn't get a melody out of his head. It was Gabriel Faure's "Pavane" — a hauntingly beautiful melody that weaves in and out of richly sequenced harmonies and fluid counter-melodies. It had been a favorite of his as a child, but he hadn't heard it for years. In the studio that same morning we tried the melody over the top of the chorus of David' Guetta's Titanium and it was like witnessing a reunion of two childhood friends. The main melody of the Pavane and its supporting chords, transposed and changed stylistically to mimic Guetta, also fit nicely as the intro we had been searching for. And we thought since Guetta and Faure are both French it must have been meant to be! If you're not familiar with "Pavane" Listen to a version of Bobby McFerrin singing it with La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra. (As a boy Steve heard this very version live in concert and it evidently had an indelible impression on him!)
Classical music is such a big part of who we, ThePianoGuys, are. You can hear it in everything we write. We love pairing it with the music of today.
This was the most difficult music video to set the "stage" for thus far. We considered so many locations — a copper mine, a steel mill, an industry factory, a mountaintop ski resort, a wildflower meadow, a desert bluff, and many others. As you know we love putting pianos and cellos in crazy places (a common comment is 'how the heck did they get the piano up there??') — places that show off breathtakingly beautiful landscapes. When Mark Wade with Garfield County's Department of Tourism called and offered full creative access to its national parks we abandoned all of our tabled ideas and focused on showcasing Bryce Canyon National Park — an incredible place of raw beauty and geological history written in rock. It is a place like no other. We feel so blessed to have been able to film there.
This video features a NEW STEEL cello made by Dawson Swan: Thor II — with significant improvements over Thor I. It's lighter, easier to play and it looks awesome! Dawson is an incredible artist! Check out his website here. Thank you again, Dawson!
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
No Soup For You!
You're through Soup Nazi. Pack it up. No more soup for you. Next! –Elaine, Seinfeld, season 7, episode 6
After 10 weeks of eating every kind of soup known to man, there will be no more soup for us {at least for a little while}. The new oven is being delivered this afternoon.
This week's menu?
Zucchini, Chicken & Rice Casserole
Papa Murphy's Chicken & Garlic Pizza
Tuna Casserole
Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Meat & Potato Pie
Zucchini & Chicken Bake
And if Mr. Bug hadn't eaten one of the two bananas that were starting to turn spotty, I would have made banana bread today.
After 10 weeks of eating every kind of soup known to man, there will be no more soup for us {at least for a little while}. The new oven is being delivered this afternoon.
This week's menu?
Zucchini, Chicken & Rice Casserole
Papa Murphy's Chicken & Garlic Pizza
Tuna Casserole
Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli & Rice Casserole
Meat & Potato Pie
Zucchini & Chicken Bake
And if Mr. Bug hadn't eaten one of the two bananas that were starting to turn spotty, I would have made banana bread today.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Random Bits: Vol. 3
Dream in a pragmatic way. –Aldous Huxley
The Quilt is in the Wash
It is finished. The pinwheel sampler is done. I put the last stitches in it yesterday. Finally.
I finished the binding ages ago. I was really on a roll with the quilting before Grandma Week and only had a little bit left {relatively speaking} to do in the sashing {16 sections out of 40} when Grandma Week started. I knew that lugging Grace along to my mom's to finish the quilting wasn't really an option, so I put the binding on before we left and during our sit-around-and-visit adult time after the kids had gone to bed, I did the hand stitching on it. But when we got back, I kind of procrastinated finishing the quilting because I wasn't really sure where to go once it was done.
This quilt was originally intended for snuggling under to read, or watch TV, or whatever. I'd still like it to be a snuggle quilt, but it seems like it isn't quite suited for that anymore. When the plan for the quilting became more elaborate than straight-lines ¼" on either side of every seam, I wanted to put the quilt into a quilt show or two. But I didn't get it finished in time last year. Or this year. And now I'm hoping I'll have something else even better to put in next year, and this quilt won't even be a contender.
Whether the quilt is going to be displayed or used, I knew it definitely needed a good washing. The sticking spot was whether to block it {for quilt shows} after it was washed or throw it in the dryer and make it all soft and crinkly {for cuddling}.
I finished it last night with enough time to wash it before bedtime and then throw it in the dryer and let it do its thing while I slept, but I wasn't certain what I wanted to do. After much thought, I decided this afternoon that I really want this quilt to be soft and snuggly, so I threw it in the washer in clear water {the instructions for the Blue Line Eraser that I used to remove my markings recommends that you run it through clear water before using any kind of detergent on it to avoid any discoloration} and when I pulled it out to spot treat it {it got some schmutz on it from my machine} before the actual wash, I noticed that the quilt was really not square anymore. It finished up so nice and square {gold star for me}, and wet, it was sort of curly and wrinkly. I decided that square {and a little bit stiff} was more important than soft and cuddly.
The quilt is in the wash now. When it finishes, I'm going to block it. Tomorrow, after it has had time to dry, I will photograph it and post it for your viewing pleasure {"oohhhhs" and "aahhhs" requested but not required }.
In other related news, I got my Connecting Threads catalog in the mail yesterday. It was very timely as they've just released some cute little tags that say, This took FOREVER. I thought seriously about ordering some for this quilt.
The iOSes vs. The Kitchen Appliances: Revisited
I'm still at loose ends about whether to get an iPhone, an iPad or a new oven. I thought I had it all sorted out, but the iPhone 5 was announced {effectively making even the iPhone 4S users obsolete
}, our shopping trip for a new oven was a bust, and instead we found a wide-by-side-fridge-with-a-pull-out-freezer-drawer that not only has all the whistles and bells, but is so palatial you could climb right up inside it and live in there. I'm honestly not sure why we didn't bring it home with us. Oh, wait. The fridge seems to be working for now and it's an oven that we need. That's right.
In the interest of being well-informed, I did a little research on the iPhone. My current carrier now offers service for the iPhone 4S. They do not require contracts but the trade-off for that is no discounts on a new phone or phone upgrade. You have to pay for the phone up front. Their least expensive service plan is $35.00, which includes 300 talk minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data. It is as simple and straightforward as that. The cost of the iPhone {$650}, plus monthly service for a two-year period {no contract required} comes in at a hair under $1500, before tax. They are currently offering a $5 per month discount if you sign up for auto-pay, which shaves another $120 off the total cost.
I was only able to find plan pricing for iPhones on one of the two major carriers, which leads me to assume that at least one of them has prices so astronomical that they lock you into a two-year contract before they show you the bill. The other carrier had iPhones starting at $199 {with a two-year contract} and talk, text and data plans starting at $80 a month. This includes 450 talk minutes, unlimited texting and 300MB of data {which is small potatoes, people}. Over the course of two years, the cost is just over $2100. For their largest data plan {5GB}, we're talking $2800 for two years.
OK, so my happiness does not depend on having the newest toy. If it did, the day they announced the iPhone 5 would have been a dark day, indeed. But I'm saying, buying the iPhone outright is money ahead. As a matter of fact, you could buy two phones, if say, they release a new iPhone after a year, and still come out ahead.
While it would be seriously awesome to download all of the heavy, heavy books I lug to church every Sunday into a nifty new iOS {and as Pink suggested, store the heavy books in the empty, broken oven}, looking at the bigger picture, Mr. Bug and I are going shopping for ovens again. Perhaps we'll be able to find P.'s idea of the most practical multi-tasking hybrid oven, with wireless capabilities and a flat screen. Our favorite outlet center is offering an additional 10% off clearance prices this weekend, which means that we could get a $700 oven for $375. I like the sound of that, even if it doesn't surf the net. And maybe the fridge will come home with us too.
Firebolt
These people obviously have too much time on their hands.
*Note: click on the "CC" button to turn the captions on/off. It is funnier if you play it with the captions on.
Also, the taxidermied animal in the glass case at 2:24 is a liger. Her name is Shasta, and she was born in 1948 at Utah's own Hogle Zoo. At her death in 1972, the beloved animal was displayed in the cat house until they deemed that she would be more appropriately kept at the Bean Museum on BYU Campus.
The Quilt is in the Wash
It is finished. The pinwheel sampler is done. I put the last stitches in it yesterday. Finally.
I finished the binding ages ago. I was really on a roll with the quilting before Grandma Week and only had a little bit left {relatively speaking} to do in the sashing {16 sections out of 40} when Grandma Week started. I knew that lugging Grace along to my mom's to finish the quilting wasn't really an option, so I put the binding on before we left and during our sit-around-and-visit adult time after the kids had gone to bed, I did the hand stitching on it. But when we got back, I kind of procrastinated finishing the quilting because I wasn't really sure where to go once it was done.
This quilt was originally intended for snuggling under to read, or watch TV, or whatever. I'd still like it to be a snuggle quilt, but it seems like it isn't quite suited for that anymore. When the plan for the quilting became more elaborate than straight-lines ¼" on either side of every seam, I wanted to put the quilt into a quilt show or two. But I didn't get it finished in time last year. Or this year. And now I'm hoping I'll have something else even better to put in next year, and this quilt won't even be a contender.
Whether the quilt is going to be displayed or used, I knew it definitely needed a good washing. The sticking spot was whether to block it {for quilt shows} after it was washed or throw it in the dryer and make it all soft and crinkly {for cuddling}.
I finished it last night with enough time to wash it before bedtime and then throw it in the dryer and let it do its thing while I slept, but I wasn't certain what I wanted to do. After much thought, I decided this afternoon that I really want this quilt to be soft and snuggly, so I threw it in the washer in clear water {the instructions for the Blue Line Eraser that I used to remove my markings recommends that you run it through clear water before using any kind of detergent on it to avoid any discoloration} and when I pulled it out to spot treat it {it got some schmutz on it from my machine} before the actual wash, I noticed that the quilt was really not square anymore. It finished up so nice and square {gold star for me}, and wet, it was sort of curly and wrinkly. I decided that square {and a little bit stiff} was more important than soft and cuddly.
The quilt is in the wash now. When it finishes, I'm going to block it. Tomorrow, after it has had time to dry, I will photograph it and post it for your viewing pleasure {"oohhhhs" and "aahhhs" requested but not required }.
In other related news, I got my Connecting Threads catalog in the mail yesterday. It was very timely as they've just released some cute little tags that say, This took FOREVER. I thought seriously about ordering some for this quilt.
The iOSes vs. The Kitchen Appliances: Revisited
I'm still at loose ends about whether to get an iPhone, an iPad or a new oven. I thought I had it all sorted out, but the iPhone 5 was announced {effectively making even the iPhone 4S users obsolete
}, our shopping trip for a new oven was a bust, and instead we found a wide-by-side-fridge-with-a-pull-out-freezer-drawer that not only has all the whistles and bells, but is so palatial you could climb right up inside it and live in there. I'm honestly not sure why we didn't bring it home with us. Oh, wait. The fridge seems to be working for now and it's an oven that we need. That's right.In the interest of being well-informed, I did a little research on the iPhone. My current carrier now offers service for the iPhone 4S. They do not require contracts but the trade-off for that is no discounts on a new phone or phone upgrade. You have to pay for the phone up front. Their least expensive service plan is $35.00, which includes 300 talk minutes, unlimited texting and unlimited data. It is as simple and straightforward as that. The cost of the iPhone {$650}, plus monthly service for a two-year period {no contract required} comes in at a hair under $1500, before tax. They are currently offering a $5 per month discount if you sign up for auto-pay, which shaves another $120 off the total cost.
I was only able to find plan pricing for iPhones on one of the two major carriers, which leads me to assume that at least one of them has prices so astronomical that they lock you into a two-year contract before they show you the bill. The other carrier had iPhones starting at $199 {with a two-year contract} and talk, text and data plans starting at $80 a month. This includes 450 talk minutes, unlimited texting and 300MB of data {which is small potatoes, people}. Over the course of two years, the cost is just over $2100. For their largest data plan {5GB}, we're talking $2800 for two years.
OK, so my happiness does not depend on having the newest toy. If it did, the day they announced the iPhone 5 would have been a dark day, indeed. But I'm saying, buying the iPhone outright is money ahead. As a matter of fact, you could buy two phones, if say, they release a new iPhone after a year, and still come out ahead.
While it would be seriously awesome to download all of the heavy, heavy books I lug to church every Sunday into a nifty new iOS {and as Pink suggested, store the heavy books in the empty, broken oven}, looking at the bigger picture, Mr. Bug and I are going shopping for ovens again. Perhaps we'll be able to find P.'s idea of the most practical multi-tasking hybrid oven, with wireless capabilities and a flat screen. Our favorite outlet center is offering an additional 10% off clearance prices this weekend, which means that we could get a $700 oven for $375. I like the sound of that, even if it doesn't surf the net. And maybe the fridge will come home with us too.
Firebolt
These people obviously have too much time on their hands.
*Note: click on the "CC" button to turn the captions on/off. It is funnier if you play it with the captions on.
Also, the taxidermied animal in the glass case at 2:24 is a liger. Her name is Shasta, and she was born in 1948 at Utah's own Hogle Zoo. At her death in 1972, the beloved animal was displayed in the cat house until they deemed that she would be more appropriately kept at the Bean Museum on BYU Campus.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
The iPhone vs. The iPad vs. The Unexpected Contender
If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger. –Frank Lloyd Wright
From the moment the first iPhone was unveiled, I've wanted one. Touch screen. MP3 player and phone all in one. Could there be anything more awesome?
I couldn't imagine it, but there is. The iPad. Angry Birds. Music. E-Mail. The whole of the internet in one tiny tablet. Plus the screen is bigger.
Call me fickle, but when the iPad came along I forgot all about the iPhone. Now I only have eyes for the iPad.
I have a phone. A smart phone, even. Mind you, I can't get a steady enough connection to log into my Google account so I can link to my e-mail and get cool apps like the barcode scanner thingie, and if the ambient temperature is to hot or too cold the back and home buttons don't work. I guess that makes my smart phone a little bit dumb. But, it has a full slide-out keyboard, which is awesome, and I have unlimited data {which is good because it surfs the internet like it's on dial-up or something} and texting, I never go over my 200 allotted talk minutes and my plan is cheap. So it doesn't matter so much that I'm carrying around a $200 calculator/alarm clock.
However, there arose a debate in my head between the iOSes recently and I've been weighing the pros and cons of each against each other.
Mr. Bug hates his phone. A lot. And we're on two different carriers so we were discussing the pros and cons of switching to a different carrier with a family plan. We were also doing a little wishful phone shopping. I immediately thought of the iPhone. And then I thought of how much the data plan would cost.
The very next day I found out that iPhones are now available through my current carrier. Granted, you have to buy the phone up front, but with data plans starting at $30, it is tempting. Very tempting. I'm pretty sure that the phone pays for itself in under a year, based on the savings in data plans. And once you have an iPhone, why would you want anything else?
With that, I got all excited about the iPhone again. Until I found out that the new iPhone 4S costs $650.00. I mean for that, I could get an iPad. The screen is bigger. And just thinking of the number of heavy, heavy books I won't have to carry back and forth to church on Sundays tips the scales hugely in favor of the iPad. Because I already have a phone. A smart phone, even.
The sensible thing to do, though, would be to get a new oven.
It would seem that our household appliances have reached the age of requiring frequent repairs or replacing. When we had to get a new dishwasher in April, I lamented the fact that we had to spend our meager tax refund on something so practical. But once the dishwasher, with its TARDIS-like* qualities, was installed and the dishes were shiny and sparkling once more, I started to fantasize about other new kitchen appliances.
I thought the fridge would be the next one to go. There's something wrong with the defroster in the freezer. The drain for excess moisture gets iced over and it starts dripping into the fridge. We defrost it and it works properly for a bit and then it ices over again.
In a surprising turn of events, the oven quit working eight weeks ago {and the freezer hasn't needed defrosting in five months}. The gas burners on the stove top have never reliably lit. Sometimes, after a long series of ignition clicks, the flame will burst out beyond the bottom of the pan nearly far enough to singe off your eyebrows. Sometimes it won't light at all and I have to use a match. And once in a great while, it lights after one ignition click. But it was the oven that went out. Since the stove top still works we're not starving or anything. And I know how to use a crock pot. But I kind of miss rolls with Sunday dinner. I'm dying to make a gingerbread cake to eat with the fresh, ripe peaches that are available in abundance right now. And there are only so many kinds of soups you can make before they all start to taste the same.
The cost of a repair on the oven would fall just short of the cost of a whole new one. So I suppose a resolution to the iOS debate will have to be postponed indefinitely because we're shopping for a new oven today. And I'm pretty sure the fridge is next in the line for replacing.
I'm also pretty sure that if I were ever to acquire a $650 phone and/or tablet, I would never, ever take them out of the pretty clear plastic boxes they come in for fear of dropping them and breaking the screens.
*TARDIS /ˈtɑrdɪs/: Time And Relative Dimension In Space. The TARDIS is a time machine and spacecraft in the British science fiction television program Doctor Who. A TARDIS is a product of the advanced technology of the Time Lords, an extraterrestrial civilization to which The Doctor belongs. A properly maintained and piloted TARDIS can transport its occupants to any point in time and any place in the universe. The interior of a TARDIS is much larger than its exterior, which can blend in with its surroundings using the ship's "chameleon circuit." The Doctor pilots an unreliable, obsolete TT Type 40, Mark 3 TARDIS. Its chameleon circuit is faulty, leaving it stuck in the shape of a 1960s-style London police box after a visit to London in 1963.
Doctor Who has become so much a part of popular culture that not only has the shape of the police box become more immediately associated with the TARDIS than with its real-world inspiration, the term "TARDIS-like" has been used to describe anything that seems to be bigger on the inside than on the outside.
From the moment the first iPhone was unveiled, I've wanted one. Touch screen. MP3 player and phone all in one. Could there be anything more awesome?
I couldn't imagine it, but there is. The iPad. Angry Birds. Music. E-Mail. The whole of the internet in one tiny tablet. Plus the screen is bigger.
Call me fickle, but when the iPad came along I forgot all about the iPhone. Now I only have eyes for the iPad.
I have a phone. A smart phone, even. Mind you, I can't get a steady enough connection to log into my Google account so I can link to my e-mail and get cool apps like the barcode scanner thingie, and if the ambient temperature is to hot or too cold the back and home buttons don't work. I guess that makes my smart phone a little bit dumb. But, it has a full slide-out keyboard, which is awesome, and I have unlimited data {which is good because it surfs the internet like it's on dial-up or something} and texting, I never go over my 200 allotted talk minutes and my plan is cheap. So it doesn't matter so much that I'm carrying around a $200 calculator/alarm clock.
However, there arose a debate in my head between the iOSes recently and I've been weighing the pros and cons of each against each other.
Mr. Bug hates his phone. A lot. And we're on two different carriers so we were discussing the pros and cons of switching to a different carrier with a family plan. We were also doing a little wishful phone shopping. I immediately thought of the iPhone. And then I thought of how much the data plan would cost.
The very next day I found out that iPhones are now available through my current carrier. Granted, you have to buy the phone up front, but with data plans starting at $30, it is tempting. Very tempting. I'm pretty sure that the phone pays for itself in under a year, based on the savings in data plans. And once you have an iPhone, why would you want anything else?
With that, I got all excited about the iPhone again. Until I found out that the new iPhone 4S costs $650.00. I mean for that, I could get an iPad. The screen is bigger. And just thinking of the number of heavy, heavy books I won't have to carry back and forth to church on Sundays tips the scales hugely in favor of the iPad. Because I already have a phone. A smart phone, even.
The sensible thing to do, though, would be to get a new oven.
It would seem that our household appliances have reached the age of requiring frequent repairs or replacing. When we had to get a new dishwasher in April, I lamented the fact that we had to spend our meager tax refund on something so practical. But once the dishwasher, with its TARDIS-like* qualities, was installed and the dishes were shiny and sparkling once more, I started to fantasize about other new kitchen appliances.
I thought the fridge would be the next one to go. There's something wrong with the defroster in the freezer. The drain for excess moisture gets iced over and it starts dripping into the fridge. We defrost it and it works properly for a bit and then it ices over again.
In a surprising turn of events, the oven quit working eight weeks ago {and the freezer hasn't needed defrosting in five months}. The gas burners on the stove top have never reliably lit. Sometimes, after a long series of ignition clicks, the flame will burst out beyond the bottom of the pan nearly far enough to singe off your eyebrows. Sometimes it won't light at all and I have to use a match. And once in a great while, it lights after one ignition click. But it was the oven that went out. Since the stove top still works we're not starving or anything. And I know how to use a crock pot. But I kind of miss rolls with Sunday dinner. I'm dying to make a gingerbread cake to eat with the fresh, ripe peaches that are available in abundance right now. And there are only so many kinds of soups you can make before they all start to taste the same.
The cost of a repair on the oven would fall just short of the cost of a whole new one. So I suppose a resolution to the iOS debate will have to be postponed indefinitely because we're shopping for a new oven today. And I'm pretty sure the fridge is next in the line for replacing.
I'm also pretty sure that if I were ever to acquire a $650 phone and/or tablet, I would never, ever take them out of the pretty clear plastic boxes they come in for fear of dropping them and breaking the screens.
Doctor Who has become so much a part of popular culture that not only has the shape of the police box become more immediately associated with the TARDIS than with its real-world inspiration, the term "TARDIS-like" has been used to describe anything that seems to be bigger on the inside than on the outside.
Monday, April 30, 2012
Various and Sundry Monday: Vol. 26
If you woke up breathing, congratulations! You have another chance. –Andrea Boydston
Last Call
Have you finished a really great project this month and want to show it off? Blog about it and link your post at the April Finishes Linky Party page. Each link is an entry to win a jelly roll from the brand new line, Tradewinds by Lily Ashby! If you've already posted your finish for this month, there's no need to do a separate post. Just add the button to that post and link up.
If You Give A Mouse A Dishwasher
Our dishwasher washed its last load of dishes last week. It was a sad occasion because who likes doing dishes by hand? Not me. Fortunately for us we got a very meager tax refund which went to buying a new dishwasher last weekend. We got a really nice model at a very reasonable price at a scratch-and-dent clearance outlet. It is SO quiet and has a lot of extra space inside. This is my very first brand-spanking-new appliance. It is kind of fun and I love how quiet it is. But it got me to thinking . . .
. . . If you give a mouse a sweet new dishwasher that is so, so quiet, she'll want a new fridge too because the ice maker went out and the auto-defrost in the freezer isn’t working quite right and there is a near-constant drip of water inside the fridge. And then once you get the mouse her swanky new wide-by-side fridge with ice and water in the door and a pull-out drawer freezer, the stove will start looking shabby and the mouse will want a new stove. Once the pristine new stove is in place, the mouse will realize just how much she hates the super noisy over-the-stove microwave and will need a new one of those too. It will have to be extra quiet so as not to be heard over the really quiet dishwasher. Then, the completely spoiled little mouse will want a front loading washing machine. And dryer. With pedestals. With all those shiny new appliances, the mouse will definitely need a new couch so she'll have a comfortable place to sit to fold all the super clean laundry.
But if you give a mouse everything she wants, she won't have any scratch left over to take the Little Bugs to Disney World. So, she'll just have to be content with the new dishwasher.
Derivatives
Last night at dinner, Grasshopper wanted to know why “Bill” was short for “William.” The only thing we could come up with was that it rhymes. But we also talked about the other variations of William, which got me to thinking about the variations of my name. I listed 10, right off the top of my head: Beth, Betsy, Bette, Betty, Buffy, Eliza, Libby, Liz, Liza, Lizzie. Then I did a quick Google and found a few more: Alisa, Bess, Bethia, Bettina, Elisa, Elise, Elissa, Ella, Elsie, Liesel, Lilly, Lisa, Lisette, Tetty, Tibbie. According to Think Baby Names {where you can look up your own name—and if you do, I'd love for you to share your favorites}, there are 152 variant forms of Elizabeth. I looked up the names of the rest of the residents at Bug Cottage and Mr. Bug's name has 21, Grasshopper's name has 24 and LadyBug's name has 21 derivatives, most of which are similar spellings of their original names. This is also true for a number of the 152 variations on my name. But there also quite a variety in there of names that are very different from each other. The funny thing is, I'm kind of a stickler for being called by my full name. That's just who I am. But it is good to know that if I ever have to enter the witness relocation program, I'll have a good selection of related names to choose from.
Monday Music Spot: Only the Young
Last Call
Have you finished a really great project this month and want to show it off? Blog about it and link your post at the April Finishes Linky Party page. Each link is an entry to win a jelly roll from the brand new line, Tradewinds by Lily Ashby! If you've already posted your finish for this month, there's no need to do a separate post. Just add the button to that post and link up.
If You Give A Mouse A Dishwasher
Our dishwasher washed its last load of dishes last week. It was a sad occasion because who likes doing dishes by hand? Not me. Fortunately for us we got a very meager tax refund which went to buying a new dishwasher last weekend. We got a really nice model at a very reasonable price at a scratch-and-dent clearance outlet. It is SO quiet and has a lot of extra space inside. This is my very first brand-spanking-new appliance. It is kind of fun and I love how quiet it is. But it got me to thinking . . .
. . . If you give a mouse a sweet new dishwasher that is so, so quiet, she'll want a new fridge too because the ice maker went out and the auto-defrost in the freezer isn’t working quite right and there is a near-constant drip of water inside the fridge. And then once you get the mouse her swanky new wide-by-side fridge with ice and water in the door and a pull-out drawer freezer, the stove will start looking shabby and the mouse will want a new stove. Once the pristine new stove is in place, the mouse will realize just how much she hates the super noisy over-the-stove microwave and will need a new one of those too. It will have to be extra quiet so as not to be heard over the really quiet dishwasher. Then, the completely spoiled little mouse will want a front loading washing machine. And dryer. With pedestals. With all those shiny new appliances, the mouse will definitely need a new couch so she'll have a comfortable place to sit to fold all the super clean laundry.
But if you give a mouse everything she wants, she won't have any scratch left over to take the Little Bugs to Disney World. So, she'll just have to be content with the new dishwasher.
Derivatives
Last night at dinner, Grasshopper wanted to know why “Bill” was short for “William.” The only thing we could come up with was that it rhymes. But we also talked about the other variations of William, which got me to thinking about the variations of my name. I listed 10, right off the top of my head: Beth, Betsy, Bette, Betty, Buffy, Eliza, Libby, Liz, Liza, Lizzie. Then I did a quick Google and found a few more: Alisa, Bess, Bethia, Bettina, Elisa, Elise, Elissa, Ella, Elsie, Liesel, Lilly, Lisa, Lisette, Tetty, Tibbie. According to Think Baby Names {where you can look up your own name—and if you do, I'd love for you to share your favorites}, there are 152 variant forms of Elizabeth. I looked up the names of the rest of the residents at Bug Cottage and Mr. Bug's name has 21, Grasshopper's name has 24 and LadyBug's name has 21 derivatives, most of which are similar spellings of their original names. This is also true for a number of the 152 variations on my name. But there also quite a variety in there of names that are very different from each other. The funny thing is, I'm kind of a stickler for being called by my full name. That's just who I am. But it is good to know that if I ever have to enter the witness relocation program, I'll have a good selection of related names to choose from.
Monday Music Spot: Only the Young
Monday, February 13, 2012
Various and Sundry Monday: Vol. 23
Nothing is so common as the wish to be remarkable.
–William Shakespeare
A Stitch in Time
Just a reminder that the February Finishes Linky Party is open all month long, so head on over and check it out. If you've finished a project that involves stitching of some sort {appliqué, crochet, cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, practical sewing, quilting} link up and not only will you get at least one extra comment on your post from me, you'll be entered to win this month's giveaway, a Reunion by Sweetwater Jelly Roll, sponsored by The Fat Quarter Shop.
A Bird in the Furnace Intake Flu is, well . . . Just Plain Embarrassing
Early Wednesday morning, while all was quiet and I was sneaking around gathering up lunch boxes, I heard a sort of high-pitched chirping noise. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I was in LadyBug's doorway and didn't know where it came from. I stopped and listened, but didn't hear anything else, so I went about my business and forgot all about it.
Thursday afternoon, I heard that chirping noise again. I still couldn't decide where it was coming from, but it seemed to be in the general vicinity of the hall. I heard it again several times later that day. Friday came and the chirp persisted, becoming more and more frequent. I listened for the source and it sounded to me like it was coming from the utility closet in the hall where the furnace and water heater reside. Mr. Bug thought that perhaps it was a belt or something in the furnace that was squeaking. But there was no consistent interval between the chirps and by Saturday evening I was convinced that somehow a bird had gotten into the furnace.
Sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning the heater quit working and there was still chirping that sounded like it was coming from the utility closet. Mr. Bug turned off the breaker that the furnace is on and the chirp noise continued. He was now on board with the bird theory. He figured that it was stuck somewhere in the flu because if the bird had gotten all the way in the heater, there would be no more chirping. His supposed that the bird was blocking the flu, and there wasn't enough air getting to the furnace, which is why it wasn't working.
As snow was falling outside and the temperature was falling inside, we decided that we'd better see about getting the bird out of the flu. There is a man who attends our church who is a handy-man, so I asked if he's be able to come over after church and have a look. He said that critters get in furnaces pretty often and that he could do it no problem. As a matter of fact, he'd already done five this year. He came over later that afternoon and after assessing the situation, he said that we could stop the chirping with a couple of 9-volt batteries
to replace the dead ones in the smoke detectors in the hallway and in LadyBug's room, which is just off the hall . The furnace had stopped working with very coincidental timing but was completely unrelated to the chirp.
February FMQ Challenge: Back to the Drawing Board
I was going to be all on top of the Free-Motion Quilting Challenge this month and get it done early. But Diane's Echo Feather exercise scared the starch out of me. I had to think about it for a whole week before I even dared to sketch it out. Diane has you do the bottom of the individual feathers and then curve around to the top for a minimum of traveling over previous stitching in the spine. I do my feather plumes the opposite way, so it was kind of like learning to write with your non-dominant hand. I erased and re-drew a lot on the rounded ends but my drawings are still “meh.”
I put it aside for a few more days, planning to draw a few more feathers out on test paper and then do a final drawing in my quilt journal before I started quilting. But I am an impatient soul. And as a general rule, my actual quilting looks better than my drawings, so I decided to give it a go on a practice quilt. I tried a branched feather for a little bit of interest, which came out at even less than “meh.” As you can see, I got bored and practiced a couple of things I want to quilt on the Polka-Dot quilt. I did a swirl inside of a circle {bottom right} and then some linked coils {left}. I can't remember whose blog I saw those on, but I left a comment and told that quilter I was totally going to copy. I think they are neat.
Then I decided I'd better focus. I tried a single feather. Still just “meh.” The shapes aren't very pretty. I know that thread choice has something to do with it. Diane said to work with a thread that didn't stand out too much. I used dark thread for my practice so I could see the stitching. I'm kind of a rebel because wanted to use this same dark thread on my sampler quilt because I want the quilting to show. With these craptastic results, I'm probably going to have to resign myself to a tan thread on the ivory fabric in the sampler quilt. But first, I'm going to sketch a few more feathers and then quilt a few more on a practice sandwich before I call this exercise “done.”
Storage Tins
While I was avoiding practicing echo feathers, I put these cute little fabric covered tins together for holding different quilting and sewing supplies. I used just about every last scrap of Metro Blue fabric I had left and I love how they came out. I keep my basting pins in one, my buttons in another and the third one is to keep the miscellaneous things on my quilting table organized. I have extra cutting blades, pens, pencils, an eraser, a seam ripper {not not the gorgeous new one}, a seam gauge, scissors and other assorted stuff in there. Cute and functional.
Monday Music Spot: I Want Candy
I like to think of Valentine's Day as a “love thy neighbor” kind of day, rather than the traditional “romantic love” kind of day. I try to do something nice for the people I love. Sometimes I make raspberry muffins and take them to the neighbors. Sometimes I make up little chocolate filled goodie bags for a few special girlfriends. Tomorrow I'll put an extra special treat and little pink paper hearts with love notes on them in the Little Bugs' lunches. And, I'm making homemade heart-shaped mini-pizzas for dinner. Each person gets the toppings they want on their very own pizza.
Tonight we had fun making a preparations for the Little Bugs' class parties tomorrow. Grasshopper finished up the Valentines for his classmates. LadyBug, who had her Valentine's ready yesterday, decorated a box to take to school tomorrow to receive Valentines from her friends. We had a white box with red dots on it left from Christmas we thought would to the trick. She cut out hearts, wrote the things she loves on them and taped them to the side of the box. We cut a slot in the top to slide the Valentines in and LadyBug drew an arrow pointing to the slot and wrote, “put candy here.” Then she wrote “candy” on all the red dots on the top of the box. That girl has her priorities straight.
–William Shakespeare
A Stitch in Time
Just a reminder that the February Finishes Linky Party is open all month long, so head on over and check it out. If you've finished a project that involves stitching of some sort {appliqué, crochet, cross-stitch, embroidery, knitting, practical sewing, quilting} link up and not only will you get at least one extra comment on your post from me, you'll be entered to win this month's giveaway, a Reunion by Sweetwater Jelly Roll, sponsored by The Fat Quarter Shop.
A Bird in the Furnace Intake Flu is, well . . . Just Plain Embarrassing
Early Wednesday morning, while all was quiet and I was sneaking around gathering up lunch boxes, I heard a sort of high-pitched chirping noise. I nearly jumped out of my skin. I was in LadyBug's doorway and didn't know where it came from. I stopped and listened, but didn't hear anything else, so I went about my business and forgot all about it.
Thursday afternoon, I heard that chirping noise again. I still couldn't decide where it was coming from, but it seemed to be in the general vicinity of the hall. I heard it again several times later that day. Friday came and the chirp persisted, becoming more and more frequent. I listened for the source and it sounded to me like it was coming from the utility closet in the hall where the furnace and water heater reside. Mr. Bug thought that perhaps it was a belt or something in the furnace that was squeaking. But there was no consistent interval between the chirps and by Saturday evening I was convinced that somehow a bird had gotten into the furnace.
Sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning the heater quit working and there was still chirping that sounded like it was coming from the utility closet. Mr. Bug turned off the breaker that the furnace is on and the chirp noise continued. He was now on board with the bird theory. He figured that it was stuck somewhere in the flu because if the bird had gotten all the way in the heater, there would be no more chirping. His supposed that the bird was blocking the flu, and there wasn't enough air getting to the furnace, which is why it wasn't working.
As snow was falling outside and the temperature was falling inside, we decided that we'd better see about getting the bird out of the flu. There is a man who attends our church who is a handy-man, so I asked if he's be able to come over after church and have a look. He said that critters get in furnaces pretty often and that he could do it no problem. As a matter of fact, he'd already done five this year. He came over later that afternoon and after assessing the situation, he said that we could stop the chirping with a couple of 9-volt batteries
to replace the dead ones in the smoke detectors in the hallway and in LadyBug's room, which is just off the hall . The furnace had stopped working with very coincidental timing but was completely unrelated to the chirp.February FMQ Challenge: Back to the Drawing Board
I was going to be all on top of the Free-Motion Quilting Challenge this month and get it done early. But Diane's Echo Feather exercise scared the starch out of me. I had to think about it for a whole week before I even dared to sketch it out. Diane has you do the bottom of the individual feathers and then curve around to the top for a minimum of traveling over previous stitching in the spine. I do my feather plumes the opposite way, so it was kind of like learning to write with your non-dominant hand. I erased and re-drew a lot on the rounded ends but my drawings are still “meh.”
I put it aside for a few more days, planning to draw a few more feathers out on test paper and then do a final drawing in my quilt journal before I started quilting. But I am an impatient soul. And as a general rule, my actual quilting looks better than my drawings, so I decided to give it a go on a practice quilt. I tried a branched feather for a little bit of interest, which came out at even less than “meh.” As you can see, I got bored and practiced a couple of things I want to quilt on the Polka-Dot quilt. I did a swirl inside of a circle {bottom right} and then some linked coils {left}. I can't remember whose blog I saw those on, but I left a comment and told that quilter I was totally going to copy. I think they are neat.
Then I decided I'd better focus. I tried a single feather. Still just “meh.” The shapes aren't very pretty. I know that thread choice has something to do with it. Diane said to work with a thread that didn't stand out too much. I used dark thread for my practice so I could see the stitching. I'm kind of a rebel because wanted to use this same dark thread on my sampler quilt because I want the quilting to show. With these craptastic results, I'm probably going to have to resign myself to a tan thread on the ivory fabric in the sampler quilt. But first, I'm going to sketch a few more feathers and then quilt a few more on a practice sandwich before I call this exercise “done.”
Storage Tins
While I was avoiding practicing echo feathers, I put these cute little fabric covered tins together for holding different quilting and sewing supplies. I used just about every last scrap of Metro Blue fabric I had left and I love how they came out. I keep my basting pins in one, my buttons in another and the third one is to keep the miscellaneous things on my quilting table organized. I have extra cutting blades, pens, pencils, an eraser, a seam ripper {not not the gorgeous new one}, a seam gauge, scissors and other assorted stuff in there. Cute and functional.
Monday Music Spot: I Want Candy
I like to think of Valentine's Day as a “love thy neighbor” kind of day, rather than the traditional “romantic love” kind of day. I try to do something nice for the people I love. Sometimes I make raspberry muffins and take them to the neighbors. Sometimes I make up little chocolate filled goodie bags for a few special girlfriends. Tomorrow I'll put an extra special treat and little pink paper hearts with love notes on them in the Little Bugs' lunches. And, I'm making homemade heart-shaped mini-pizzas for dinner. Each person gets the toppings they want on their very own pizza.
Tonight we had fun making a preparations for the Little Bugs' class parties tomorrow. Grasshopper finished up the Valentines for his classmates. LadyBug, who had her Valentine's ready yesterday, decorated a box to take to school tomorrow to receive Valentines from her friends. We had a white box with red dots on it left from Christmas we thought would to the trick. She cut out hearts, wrote the things she loves on them and taped them to the side of the box. We cut a slot in the top to slide the Valentines in and LadyBug drew an arrow pointing to the slot and wrote, “put candy here.” Then she wrote “candy” on all the red dots on the top of the box. That girl has her priorities straight.
Monday, February 21, 2011
Not for the Faint of Heart
Warning: due to the graphic nature of this post, reader's discretion is advised.
Apparently, I've been working Grace too hard. She threw a tantrum in September and refused to take another stitch. I sent her for a two-week spa retreat and we were back in business. For the record, I take good care of my machine. Proper maintenance is on my mind. I keep her swept out and lint-free and every once in a while, I drop a tiny bit of oil down the holes in the face plate, because that's what they're for, right? Well, apparently not. Grace's manual does not give any instructions whatsoever on how to oil her. So, when she froze up again during the middle of Friday Night Sew-In, I was, well . . . I don't know what I was. Mostly annoyed. Annoyed that she was ready to quit long before I was. Annoyed at the possibility of having to take her for another spa retreat so soon after her last. Annoyed that someone doesn't send me on a two-week a spa retreat when I throw a tantrum and say I'm overworked. Annoyed that a tune-up is ¼ of the price I paid for the machine and that it is apparently necessary twice a year, effectively making the machine disposable after two years. Annoyed at myself for not having done something to prevent this. Yes. I think annoyed sums it up.
Because the budget is very tight at Bug Cottage right now, I went on-line. Google knows everything and I figured that somewhere out there would be instructions on how to oil this machine. No luck. Then I went to the on-line source, but as with the manual, there was nothing on the manufacturer's website; nothing on the machine's page, nothing in the FAQ's, so I filled out on an on-line inquiry and not-so-patiently waited for their reply. Saturday afternoon the reply came. They recommended taking the machine in to have it professionally serviced as it has to be opened up. Can you hear me rolling my eyes
?
Not happy at the prospect of having to pay for another service call and having do without my machine for another two weeks, with trepidation I started to disassemble my machine to see if I could figure out what was wrong with her. I pause here to again mention, that the following images are very graphic in nature and discretion is advised. I also want to say that I do not recommend or endorse this and if you pull apart your own sewing machine and it goes badly, I do not accept any responsibility for it. Proceed at your own risk.
I'm removing the screws from the bottom of the case. It is good that Mr. Bug has a very large collection of screwdrivers. I think we used 8 different screwdrivers to remove all the screws and get the case open.
After you remove all the screws that hold the case together, you have to pry the plastic clips inside of the machine open. That's Mr. Bug there, getting the job done. It was a little nerve racking. I was afraid that case was going to crack.
After no small amount of prying, we got the machine open. It is kind of like looking at a one of those medical drawings of what a human looks like under the skin. Please note the color of towel I put under her. Surgical green
.
I moved from joint to joint, cleaning and oiling as I went. I started under the bobbin casing. I was sure that was where the sticking spot was going to be. But as it turns out, it was right next to the hand wheel. To get to it required removing a computer board {} from its mountings. Between the two of us, we got the joint cleaned and oiled and amazingly we got Grace all back together. There was only one screw left over when we finished up, so we marked that down as a success.
Grace was back on her feet in no time at all. Saturday evening, I put together the rest of the pinwheels for the quilt I started during FNSI. Here it isall laid out on the living room floor up on the design wall, ready to be assembled. I'm hoping I'll have a bit of time to work on that after the Little Bugs are in bed tonight.
I am not going to put a border on this quilt, so once the top is done, I'll get it ready for quilting. I'm considering loopy flowers instead of stippling. But I also thought a swirl might be nice too. Any suggestions?
P.S. I was only joking about having a screw left over. Miraculously, we got the screws back in all the right places.
Apparently, I've been working Grace too hard. She threw a tantrum in September and refused to take another stitch. I sent her for a two-week spa retreat and we were back in business. For the record, I take good care of my machine. Proper maintenance is on my mind. I keep her swept out and lint-free and every once in a while, I drop a tiny bit of oil down the holes in the face plate, because that's what they're for, right? Well, apparently not. Grace's manual does not give any instructions whatsoever on how to oil her. So, when she froze up again during the middle of Friday Night Sew-In, I was, well . . . I don't know what I was. Mostly annoyed. Annoyed that she was ready to quit long before I was. Annoyed at the possibility of having to take her for another spa retreat so soon after her last. Annoyed that someone doesn't send me on a two-week a spa retreat when I throw a tantrum and say I'm overworked. Annoyed that a tune-up is ¼ of the price I paid for the machine and that it is apparently necessary twice a year, effectively making the machine disposable after two years. Annoyed at myself for not having done something to prevent this. Yes. I think annoyed sums it up.
Because the budget is very tight at Bug Cottage right now, I went on-line. Google knows everything and I figured that somewhere out there would be instructions on how to oil this machine. No luck. Then I went to the on-line source, but as with the manual, there was nothing on the manufacturer's website; nothing on the machine's page, nothing in the FAQ's, so I filled out on an on-line inquiry and not-so-patiently waited for their reply. Saturday afternoon the reply came. They recommended taking the machine in to have it professionally serviced as it has to be opened up. Can you hear me rolling my eyes
?Not happy at the prospect of having to pay for another service call and having do without my machine for another two weeks, with trepidation I started to disassemble my machine to see if I could figure out what was wrong with her. I pause here to again mention, that the following images are very graphic in nature and discretion is advised. I also want to say that I do not recommend or endorse this and if you pull apart your own sewing machine and it goes badly, I do not accept any responsibility for it. Proceed at your own risk.
I'm removing the screws from the bottom of the case. It is good that Mr. Bug has a very large collection of screwdrivers. I think we used 8 different screwdrivers to remove all the screws and get the case open.
After you remove all the screws that hold the case together, you have to pry the plastic clips inside of the machine open. That's Mr. Bug there, getting the job done. It was a little nerve racking. I was afraid that case was going to crack.
After no small amount of prying, we got the machine open. It is kind of like looking at a one of those medical drawings of what a human looks like under the skin. Please note the color of towel I put under her. Surgical green
.
I moved from joint to joint, cleaning and oiling as I went. I started under the bobbin casing. I was sure that was where the sticking spot was going to be. But as it turns out, it was right next to the hand wheel. To get to it required removing a computer board {
} from its mountings. Between the two of us, we got the joint cleaned and oiled and amazingly we got Grace all back together. There was only one screw left over when we finished up, so we marked that down as a success.
Grace was back on her feet in no time at all. Saturday evening, I put together the rest of the pinwheels for the quilt I started during FNSI. Here it is
I am not going to put a border on this quilt, so once the top is done, I'll get it ready for quilting. I'm considering loopy flowers instead of stippling. But I also thought a swirl might be nice too. Any suggestions?
P.S. I was only joking about having a screw left over. Miraculously, we got the screws back in all the right places.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Friday Night Sew-In: Gracie's Pinwheels
Trust that little voice in your head that says "Wouldn't it be interesting if..." And then do it. –Duane Michals, More Joy of Photography
I have been looking forward to Friday Night Sew-In all week long. It was a really great way to unwind after a long week. I was able to leave work early {i.e. on time}, get a few errands taken care of, do a little blog reading, feed the family something quick and easy and by 6:53 pm, I was settled in for an evening of sewing. I decided to work on something completely new and never before seen on my blog. You see, in direct violation of the No New Projects policy, I'm trying to squish one more quilt into my list of quilts to finish by the end of June. Nevermind that it is already February 19th and I've only finished one of the seven I've set out to do. A friend bought the fabrics and asked if I would make a quilt for her daughter's {toddler} bed. I'm just a girl who can't say no, so here are they are washed and ready for pressing and cutting.
And after an embarrassingly large amount of time, here are all the pieces necessary to make this quilt cut and ready to go. I used my Go! cutter and the starter die to cut that stack of 144 HST's in 15 minutes. It was definitely the fastest part of cutting.
Then it was time to get down to business. I got my pinwheels all put together and started to add the borders around them when Grace positively refused to take another stitch. She insists that I am working her too hard and she wants another spa retreat. I have a problem with this because if her manual told me where to oil her, she'd be getting the proper treatment that would prevent these little protests of hers. The only thing the manual mentions about oiling is where not to put it. So I dust the lint out very regularly and every once in a while I drop a tiny bit of oil down the holes in the face plate. I'm afraid of oiling her too much in the wrong places {because there is no indication of where the right places are}. I went on-line and Googled to see if there were some instructions out there, but no luck. I opened Grace up to see if I could be a little more strategic with where I put the oil so that she'd loosen up. But that didn't help much. So, I put an on-line request in to the manufacturer for instructions. Grace quit long before I was ready to, so this is as far as I got with my Friday Night Sew-In.
I haven't heard back from the manufacturer yet {I know. I'm a bit impatient}, but I'm anxious to get back to my blocks. So this morning I'm going to completely strip her down and see if I can find the sticking spot so that I can get these pinwheel blocks finished. This quilt is going to be like Grandpa's Candy Dish, only the blocks between the pinwheels will not be pieced from strips. I want to say the blocks will be solid, only the fabric is a print, so that is a little confusing
. I think it is going to be really fun, assuming I can get Grace back on board.
Today's post brought to you by:
I have been looking forward to Friday Night Sew-In all week long. It was a really great way to unwind after a long week. I was able to leave work early {i.e. on time}, get a few errands taken care of, do a little blog reading, feed the family something quick and easy and by 6:53 pm, I was settled in for an evening of sewing. I decided to work on something completely new and never before seen on my blog. You see, in direct violation of the No New Projects policy, I'm trying to squish one more quilt into my list of quilts to finish by the end of June. Nevermind that it is already February 19th and I've only finished one of the seven I've set out to do. A friend bought the fabrics and asked if I would make a quilt for her daughter's {toddler} bed. I'm just a girl who can't say no, so here are they are washed and ready for pressing and cutting.
And after an embarrassingly large amount of time, here are all the pieces necessary to make this quilt cut and ready to go. I used my Go! cutter and the starter die to cut that stack of 144 HST's in 15 minutes. It was definitely the fastest part of cutting.
Then it was time to get down to business. I got my pinwheels all put together and started to add the borders around them when Grace positively refused to take another stitch. She insists that I am working her too hard and she wants another spa retreat
. I have a problem with this because if her manual told me where to oil her, she'd be getting the proper treatment that would prevent these little protests of hers. The only thing the manual mentions about oiling is where not to put it. So I dust the lint out very regularly and every once in a while I drop a tiny bit of oil down the holes in the face plate. I'm afraid of oiling her too much in the wrong places {because there is no indication of where the right places are}. I went on-line and Googled to see if there were some instructions out there, but no luck. I opened Grace up to see if I could be a little more strategic with where I put the oil so that she'd loosen up. But that didn't help much. So, I put an on-line request in to the manufacturer for instructions. Grace quit long before I was ready to, so this is as far as I got with my Friday Night Sew-In.
I haven't heard back from the manufacturer yet {I know. I'm a bit impatient}, but I'm anxious to get back to my blocks. So this morning I'm going to completely strip her down and see if I can find the sticking spot so that I can get these pinwheel blocks finished. This quilt is going to be like Grandpa's Candy Dish, only the blocks between the pinwheels will not be pieced from strips. I want to say the blocks will be solid, only the fabric is a print, so that is a little confusing
. I think it is going to be really fun, assuming I can get Grace back on board.
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