No lengthy, laborious, ridiculous story about my life today, how lucky for you!
Just a shout out for my Red Raiders! I am an alumni of Texas Tech University. I am not a football fan really, and neither is hubs praise God, but I do love to watch my alma mater play. Today they played Texas A & M.... grrrrrrrrr. I know, I know it is a good school. However those Aggies talk a lot of smack and they are such a cocky bunch. So when Tech puts a whoop on them it makes me deliriously crazy happy, equalled only by beating U.T. So I kicked back today with some chips & hot sauce and a cold brewsky, in true college spirit, and watched a wonderful game yelling and cheering the whole time! By the by, the final was 35 - 7!!! So sorry you silly Aggie punks, go back to College Station!
Yeee haw! Get yer' guns up!!!
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Friday, October 12, 2007
Mini Dental Implants
This particular post on my blog is a public service announcement. You see I am genetically flawed, honestly in too many ways to mention for heaven's sake. So for the purpose of this blog I will stick with discussing only one of my genetic mutations. Let me explain my plight and then I will tie in why this all really is, in fact, a PSA. This will probably be outrageously boring unless you have a funky tooth gene flaw like I do, so I will try to throw in some silly and unfortunately gruesome pictures just for added interest. Brace yourselves.
On my Dad's side of the family there is this wacked out missing eye teeth thing. This is genetic so I am sure it goes back way farther than this but what I know is that my uncle (my dad's twin brother) is missing his eye teeth and my Dad's are small. Then my brother(my oldest sibling) has small eye teeth, my sister(middle child) has even smaller eye teeth and then me (the baby) with NO eye teeth. I drew the short end of the stick on that one, but I guess being the baby and getting away with everything made up for it! My Dad and my siblings all had theirs capped. Anyway, I kept my baby eye teeth until I was about 14 when I got braces and, as was the norm for orthodontia of the day, they pulled all remaining baby teeth.
This left me a fragile and emotional teenager with braces and no eye teeth.
Go ahead and giggle, I would too if I was looking at YOUR 9th grade picture! This was circa 1985...whew what a babe I was! As if my missing teeth were not bad enough, add in the feathered version of the mullet and the unfortunate fashion situation that haunted the 80's. Have mercy on my soul. Sheesh, it's no wonder my awkward teenage years didn't damage my psyche even more than normal.
They did wire two false teeth into my braces at some point, thank goodness. Then off come the braces and on with the retainer. Well they connected false teeth to the wire of my retainer. As you can imagine I NEVER lost my retainer!! I would take it out just to hear the squeals of my friends though, great fun it really was.
At 17 I got my permanent bridge, a Maryland Bridge it is called. This bridge attaches the false teeth to the back of the two teeth on either side with thin metal plates. That was close to 20 years ago. Well one side of the bridge finally popped loose about a year ago so I knew something would eventually have to be done to the bridge...and I did not, cosmetically speaking, like how it looked.
(This was blonde rascal and I this summer in Pagosa Springs Colorado. We were at "The Malt Shoppe". If you are ever in Pagosa Springs I would highly recommend that you stop there. We had a malt every day... and I not ashamed of that.)
As you see in this lovely big shot of my mouth, my false eye teeth did not "yellow" to the same shade as my other teeth did. Ewwwww! Then the, before mentioned, metal backing showed through my front teeth giving them a repulsive grey tint. Ewwwww! Now, it was not all a vain cosmetic thing, my desire to get rid of that ugly bridge. You see the hygienist did agree, at my last cleaning, that the bridge was loose which then, she stated, becomes a breeding ground for decay behind there. I have no room for decay in my life so I knew another plan must be set in motion. And by the way they can't "re-glue" the loose bridge back on because you don't get a sturdy bond that way.
I go in for a consultation and they make molds, take pictures, x-rays, and all that dentistry stuff. Then I get hooked up to do at home teeth whitening. I want the end result to be for all of my teeth, real and otherwise, to be relatively the same color! Novel concept. Mr. Dentist tells me I am a perfect candidate for mini-implants. Yipes, that was not what I wanted to hear. I was imagining a new type of bridge that attached to the back of my teeth like before but not with ugly metal that showed through my teeth...all very easy involving no pain, no blood, no shots. Well it turns out that the Maryland type bridge, in any form, is way old school. Other than the implants my other option would be to file down 4 of my teeth and then make a huge crown type thing. Well I am certainly not filing down perfectly healthy teeth. So I was just sick at this news, I had to resolve myself to scary implants.
Mr. Dentist explained how these new mini dental implants, unlike the traditional implants where they cut open your gums, are smaller and there is no cutting of gums. The screw is very narrow, like a tooth pick, they screw it up through your gum and into your jaw bone where it eventually fuses with your bone. Very strong and really a great thing. The end of the implant, a post, sticks out through your gum which they then attach the false tooth to. I was like "Oh Mr. Dentist that sounds like a perfectly macabre procedure and I am the hugest of babies...ohhh I feel like I could puke just thinking about it." So Mr. Dentist said really it is not bad at all but I will prescribe some wacky pills for your to take before hand so you will never know what hit you. "Oh...pills you say? Prescription narcotics? That will have an effect on me for two hours? That sounds charming! Let me go home and think about it!"
I went home and researched it online of course. Which is a catch-22 because you really can find out too much info. I did find lots of pictures of the procedure that I could not stomach looking at! But then I did read a lot of information from other dentists who explained how easy the procedure was and the results were fantastic. I had a hard time finding testimonials that I felt like were "real" patients, not paid endorsements. I wanted the scoop, I wanted to hear a real person tell me what it was like. Now we have come full circle with my story. (I know you are saying finally!!!) Now, when some poor schlepp like me hears they are candidates for mini-implants and they go "Wha...?" Then hopefully when they go home and google it like I did, they might just pull up this blog! (Bless their heart!)
So here is my mini dental implant public service announcement... If your dentist recommends them for you, do not worry your pretty little toothless head over it. Do, for the love off all things sacred, take the sedation anti anxiety pill beforehand. I also got laughing gas. I was only semi-aware of what was going on, I could respond to questions and requests. It seemed like I was in the chair for 20 minutes when in reality it was a little more than an hour. I remember very little of the procedure. Nothing hurt, not the Novocain shots, nothing! Take the sedation drugs is all I can say! Here is a picture during the procedure after they had the implants in.... keep scrolling past with your eyes closed if you don't want to see this!
At this point the teeth are just glued onto those posts. When I got home that day and the meds wore off, I was sore but took a pain pill. Now here is the amazing part...the next morning it was like nothing happened. There was NO pain. I don't understand it, but it is true. I was very careful while brushing, as that worried me a little, but it was never painful.
That is my message folks, don't be reluctant to get this procedure done only because of fear. I hope one scaredy cat chicken, like myself has just googled their way onto my blog. (For the rest of you who are here on purpose I am sorry...just yawn & roll your eyes and then move onto another blog!) I am a real person, and a HUGE baby when it comes to procedures that I can't be put to sleep for! Trust me when I say it is nothing to be worried about, very easy and no pain afterwards! Did I make you feel better? Go ahead with the procedure, you will be glad you did!
On my Dad's side of the family there is this wacked out missing eye teeth thing. This is genetic so I am sure it goes back way farther than this but what I know is that my uncle (my dad's twin brother) is missing his eye teeth and my Dad's are small. Then my brother(my oldest sibling) has small eye teeth, my sister(middle child) has even smaller eye teeth and then me (the baby) with NO eye teeth. I drew the short end of the stick on that one, but I guess being the baby and getting away with everything made up for it! My Dad and my siblings all had theirs capped. Anyway, I kept my baby eye teeth until I was about 14 when I got braces and, as was the norm for orthodontia of the day, they pulled all remaining baby teeth.
This left me a fragile and emotional teenager with braces and no eye teeth.
Go ahead and giggle, I would too if I was looking at YOUR 9th grade picture! This was circa 1985...whew what a babe I was! As if my missing teeth were not bad enough, add in the feathered version of the mullet and the unfortunate fashion situation that haunted the 80's. Have mercy on my soul. Sheesh, it's no wonder my awkward teenage years didn't damage my psyche even more than normal.
They did wire two false teeth into my braces at some point, thank goodness. Then off come the braces and on with the retainer. Well they connected false teeth to the wire of my retainer. As you can imagine I NEVER lost my retainer!! I would take it out just to hear the squeals of my friends though, great fun it really was.
At 17 I got my permanent bridge, a Maryland Bridge it is called. This bridge attaches the false teeth to the back of the two teeth on either side with thin metal plates. That was close to 20 years ago. Well one side of the bridge finally popped loose about a year ago so I knew something would eventually have to be done to the bridge...and I did not, cosmetically speaking, like how it looked.
(This was blonde rascal and I this summer in Pagosa Springs Colorado. We were at "The Malt Shoppe". If you are ever in Pagosa Springs I would highly recommend that you stop there. We had a malt every day... and I not ashamed of that.)
As you see in this lovely big shot of my mouth, my false eye teeth did not "yellow" to the same shade as my other teeth did. Ewwwww! Then the, before mentioned, metal backing showed through my front teeth giving them a repulsive grey tint. Ewwwww! Now, it was not all a vain cosmetic thing, my desire to get rid of that ugly bridge. You see the hygienist did agree, at my last cleaning, that the bridge was loose which then, she stated, becomes a breeding ground for decay behind there. I have no room for decay in my life so I knew another plan must be set in motion. And by the way they can't "re-glue" the loose bridge back on because you don't get a sturdy bond that way.
I go in for a consultation and they make molds, take pictures, x-rays, and all that dentistry stuff. Then I get hooked up to do at home teeth whitening. I want the end result to be for all of my teeth, real and otherwise, to be relatively the same color! Novel concept. Mr. Dentist tells me I am a perfect candidate for mini-implants. Yipes, that was not what I wanted to hear. I was imagining a new type of bridge that attached to the back of my teeth like before but not with ugly metal that showed through my teeth...all very easy involving no pain, no blood, no shots. Well it turns out that the Maryland type bridge, in any form, is way old school. Other than the implants my other option would be to file down 4 of my teeth and then make a huge crown type thing. Well I am certainly not filing down perfectly healthy teeth. So I was just sick at this news, I had to resolve myself to scary implants.
Mr. Dentist explained how these new mini dental implants, unlike the traditional implants where they cut open your gums, are smaller and there is no cutting of gums. The screw is very narrow, like a tooth pick, they screw it up through your gum and into your jaw bone where it eventually fuses with your bone. Very strong and really a great thing. The end of the implant, a post, sticks out through your gum which they then attach the false tooth to. I was like "Oh Mr. Dentist that sounds like a perfectly macabre procedure and I am the hugest of babies...ohhh I feel like I could puke just thinking about it." So Mr. Dentist said really it is not bad at all but I will prescribe some wacky pills for your to take before hand so you will never know what hit you. "Oh...pills you say? Prescription narcotics? That will have an effect on me for two hours? That sounds charming! Let me go home and think about it!"
I went home and researched it online of course. Which is a catch-22 because you really can find out too much info. I did find lots of pictures of the procedure that I could not stomach looking at! But then I did read a lot of information from other dentists who explained how easy the procedure was and the results were fantastic. I had a hard time finding testimonials that I felt like were "real" patients, not paid endorsements. I wanted the scoop, I wanted to hear a real person tell me what it was like. Now we have come full circle with my story. (I know you are saying finally!!!) Now, when some poor schlepp like me hears they are candidates for mini-implants and they go "Wha...?" Then hopefully when they go home and google it like I did, they might just pull up this blog! (Bless their heart!)
So here is my mini dental implant public service announcement... If your dentist recommends them for you, do not worry your pretty little toothless head over it. Do, for the love off all things sacred, take the sedation anti anxiety pill beforehand. I also got laughing gas. I was only semi-aware of what was going on, I could respond to questions and requests. It seemed like I was in the chair for 20 minutes when in reality it was a little more than an hour. I remember very little of the procedure. Nothing hurt, not the Novocain shots, nothing! Take the sedation drugs is all I can say! Here is a picture during the procedure after they had the implants in.... keep scrolling past with your eyes closed if you don't want to see this!
At this point the teeth are just glued onto those posts. When I got home that day and the meds wore off, I was sore but took a pain pill. Now here is the amazing part...the next morning it was like nothing happened. There was NO pain. I don't understand it, but it is true. I was very careful while brushing, as that worried me a little, but it was never painful.
That is my message folks, don't be reluctant to get this procedure done only because of fear. I hope one scaredy cat chicken, like myself has just googled their way onto my blog. (For the rest of you who are here on purpose I am sorry...just yawn & roll your eyes and then move onto another blog!) I am a real person, and a HUGE baby when it comes to procedures that I can't be put to sleep for! Trust me when I say it is nothing to be worried about, very easy and no pain afterwards! Did I make you feel better? Go ahead with the procedure, you will be glad you did!
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
The Sewing Machine Saga
Here is the very long and corrupt story of my quest for a new sewing machine. As I have previously discussed on my blog, my old Singer sucked. Nothing personal but it was very old and a very base model. Not really cut out for todays quilting! The quilt store where I am taking my quilting classes, well they sell and service Pfaff machines. I sewed on one last week at my class and after sewing on my Singer, which sews and sounds like a go-cart, sewing on this Pfaff was a dream! I want to quilt and machine embroider so I wanted (needed!) a new machine that could do just that.
The good news is that Pfaff has just come out with a brand spanking new swanky model. Well, lots of quilters want the new model so they trade up~ selling their old model and then apply that towards the purchase of the new model. I certainly don’t need a top of the line high dollar machine right now as a novice quilter but a used older model would be perfect. So I dropped a little hint to hubs that I was in dire need of a new machine. I also explained that the new models had come out and they cost more than some cars... ”but of course I don’t need a new one dear because they have some wonderful pre-loved ones, and they are much less expensive, that would be perfect for me!” At “much less expensive” his ears perked. That was hint #1.
Then I thought next I’ll bribe him. Hub’s father, a kind and generous man, passed away 2 years ago. Hubs then inherited a lot of.....paperwork!!!! Hubs is NOT really so very organized, and just downright does not like, despises in fact, paperwork. I am not OCD about it but to avoid clutter I like all of our personal paperwork filed away neatly. Then if and when I need to refer to something I know exactly where it is. Well, when all of hubs paperwork from his Dad’s estate started rolling in I told him I did not want any part of that and he would have to organize it! Otherwise when some important something or other came up missing then hubs would blame me and my otherwise flawless filing system when actually what he was hunting for would end up being in his briefcase! So for the past 2 years all of this mail piles up on the bar in the kitchen. Then I would put in a file folder for him and put it on the counter in the laundry room. Then I started dating those folders and piling them in boxes in the closet. Then when tax time rolls around hubs sits a the kitchen table surrounded by helter skelter stacks of papers and sighs pitifully with his head in his hands.
A few months ago he said “What if I hired you to be my secretary?” Well I knew the depths of his mess and I, kindly, said “No way Jose`, you have got to organize that stuff yourself buster. There is not enough money in the world for me to want to take on that project!” Well fast forward to this week and the idea of organizing a few papers and getting paid was sounding like a grand idea! So I said “I will organize all of your paperwork and you will never again be frustrated by all of that mess you created! Now, you only have to pay me $6 a day for one year, payable upfront! That is less than minimum wage let me tell you!” Being my husband, well he knew exactly what I was up to and rolled his eyes.
So it was on. I decided to show him just exactly how wonderful I was! I took stacks and piles and boxes and weeded out trash, had a “to shred” pile that was 2 feet high. When it was all said and done I had neatly color coded all of his “stuff” and the end product fit easily into one drawer of the filing cabinet! All of that mess and headache when organized turned into one little drawer! Am I good or what?
Well he was thrilled and I said ok pay up dude, payment is due in full! He said no this is a “for better or worse” thing. You just helped me out of the worse! Such a fine wife you are! Wha....What??? I need payment in full....I need my sewing machine!!
Not to worry I had one last ace in the hole. A little reminder of why it would be ok for me to have a new machine. I hope you readers don’t at this point perceive me as a spoiled, scheming, manipulative wife. You see there are other issues here. Quilting is a hobby, yes? Just a little hobby. So let me share with you about hub’s little hobby. I’ll throw in pictures just for giggles!
Team roping. I'll give you the layman's city girl explanation of what exactly that is for those of you who don’t know. In team roping a steer runs and two men on horses chase it. One of the men (the header) ropes the head and then the other man (the healer) ropes the back feet. This is a timed event, with the goal being accomplishing this quickly! There, now you know.
So hubs team ropes. Naturally you need horses.
This Leo. Handsome isn't he? Fast too.
This is Josie. She is a lover. You can't get away from her! She just wants to rub her head on you and sniff you! She is fast too!
Here we have Colonel. He is a beauty.
Here is Max. He is fat!
And if you have a little land, then you have a roping arena at your house so you need these punks...
Granted they do their fair share of “mowing and fertilizing” but I personally would like to see them in my freezer for a years worth of dinners!!!!
Anyway, both the horses and steers have to eat.
Oh please you say, what is a little hay?
What about this?
And then there is this!
Of course you have to build a barn to shelter the little darlings from the elements....
Hello barn!
So when you go to roping somewhere else you have to load your horses up in a trailer. Not just any trailer would do for hubs "hobby"...
That folks is like carrying your horses in a dad gum Bentley! Then there are living quarters inside, you know in case you have to spend the night at a roping. The living quarters are like the Taj Mahal! It is like this horse trailer has been on MTV's "Pimp my Ride"!!!
There, wasn't that fun?? Now if we are purely talking hobbies, both hubs and mine, apples to apples....do you see why I felt NO guilt about wanting a new machine???
Just a little brand "new to me" sewing machine like this....
There she is!!!! Yipppeeee my precious machine!!! The quilts are going to be rolling off that thing!!!!
All joking aside, hubs did say (after I painstakingly organized his disaster of paperwork) "You don't ask for a lot. So if this machine will make you happy, then I want you to have it" Awwwwwww, he is so sweet! He is a good, kind, peach of a husband, who works very hard to provide for his family so if he likes to rope and we can still put food on the table then that is fine with me! I didn't say I won't tease him about it though!! I love him and I'll go ahead and keep him. I love my new Pfaff too!!!!
The good news is that Pfaff has just come out with a brand spanking new swanky model. Well, lots of quilters want the new model so they trade up~ selling their old model and then apply that towards the purchase of the new model. I certainly don’t need a top of the line high dollar machine right now as a novice quilter but a used older model would be perfect. So I dropped a little hint to hubs that I was in dire need of a new machine. I also explained that the new models had come out and they cost more than some cars... ”but of course I don’t need a new one dear because they have some wonderful pre-loved ones, and they are much less expensive, that would be perfect for me!” At “much less expensive” his ears perked. That was hint #1.
Then I thought next I’ll bribe him. Hub’s father, a kind and generous man, passed away 2 years ago. Hubs then inherited a lot of.....paperwork!!!! Hubs is NOT really so very organized, and just downright does not like, despises in fact, paperwork. I am not OCD about it but to avoid clutter I like all of our personal paperwork filed away neatly. Then if and when I need to refer to something I know exactly where it is. Well, when all of hubs paperwork from his Dad’s estate started rolling in I told him I did not want any part of that and he would have to organize it! Otherwise when some important something or other came up missing then hubs would blame me and my otherwise flawless filing system when actually what he was hunting for would end up being in his briefcase! So for the past 2 years all of this mail piles up on the bar in the kitchen. Then I would put in a file folder for him and put it on the counter in the laundry room. Then I started dating those folders and piling them in boxes in the closet. Then when tax time rolls around hubs sits a the kitchen table surrounded by helter skelter stacks of papers and sighs pitifully with his head in his hands.
A few months ago he said “What if I hired you to be my secretary?” Well I knew the depths of his mess and I, kindly, said “No way Jose`, you have got to organize that stuff yourself buster. There is not enough money in the world for me to want to take on that project!” Well fast forward to this week and the idea of organizing a few papers and getting paid was sounding like a grand idea! So I said “I will organize all of your paperwork and you will never again be frustrated by all of that mess you created! Now, you only have to pay me $6 a day for one year, payable upfront! That is less than minimum wage let me tell you!” Being my husband, well he knew exactly what I was up to and rolled his eyes.
So it was on. I decided to show him just exactly how wonderful I was! I took stacks and piles and boxes and weeded out trash, had a “to shred” pile that was 2 feet high. When it was all said and done I had neatly color coded all of his “stuff” and the end product fit easily into one drawer of the filing cabinet! All of that mess and headache when organized turned into one little drawer! Am I good or what?
Well he was thrilled and I said ok pay up dude, payment is due in full! He said no this is a “for better or worse” thing. You just helped me out of the worse! Such a fine wife you are! Wha....What??? I need payment in full....I need my sewing machine!!
Not to worry I had one last ace in the hole. A little reminder of why it would be ok for me to have a new machine. I hope you readers don’t at this point perceive me as a spoiled, scheming, manipulative wife. You see there are other issues here. Quilting is a hobby, yes? Just a little hobby. So let me share with you about hub’s little hobby. I’ll throw in pictures just for giggles!
Team roping. I'll give you the layman's city girl explanation of what exactly that is for those of you who don’t know. In team roping a steer runs and two men on horses chase it. One of the men (the header) ropes the head and then the other man (the healer) ropes the back feet. This is a timed event, with the goal being accomplishing this quickly! There, now you know.
So hubs team ropes. Naturally you need horses.
This Leo. Handsome isn't he? Fast too.
This is Josie. She is a lover. You can't get away from her! She just wants to rub her head on you and sniff you! She is fast too!
Here we have Colonel. He is a beauty.
Here is Max. He is fat!
And if you have a little land, then you have a roping arena at your house so you need these punks...
Granted they do their fair share of “mowing and fertilizing” but I personally would like to see them in my freezer for a years worth of dinners!!!!
Anyway, both the horses and steers have to eat.
Oh please you say, what is a little hay?
What about this?
And then there is this!
Of course you have to build a barn to shelter the little darlings from the elements....
Hello barn!
So when you go to roping somewhere else you have to load your horses up in a trailer. Not just any trailer would do for hubs "hobby"...
That folks is like carrying your horses in a dad gum Bentley! Then there are living quarters inside, you know in case you have to spend the night at a roping. The living quarters are like the Taj Mahal! It is like this horse trailer has been on MTV's "Pimp my Ride"!!!
There, wasn't that fun?? Now if we are purely talking hobbies, both hubs and mine, apples to apples....do you see why I felt NO guilt about wanting a new machine???
Just a little brand "new to me" sewing machine like this....
There she is!!!! Yipppeeee my precious machine!!! The quilts are going to be rolling off that thing!!!!
All joking aside, hubs did say (after I painstakingly organized his disaster of paperwork) "You don't ask for a lot. So if this machine will make you happy, then I want you to have it" Awwwwwww, he is so sweet! He is a good, kind, peach of a husband, who works very hard to provide for his family so if he likes to rope and we can still put food on the table then that is fine with me! I didn't say I won't tease him about it though!! I love him and I'll go ahead and keep him. I love my new Pfaff too!!!!
Tuesday, October 9, 2007
Too much of a good thing.
Magazine subscriptions. I have come to the point in my life where I have to say enough is enough. I used to be a magazine junky and lived for the day that those babies would show up in my mailbox. But now I am just smooth overwhelmed. They come in the mailbox, then move into the mail stack, they move to the coffee table after that, then 3 months later I pull them off the coffee table and finally thumb through them. I think the joy got lost when I got carried away with subscriptions. One or two is manageable and enjoyable...but more than that becomes a chore. I don't like chores!
I mean sure I ordered a couple last year for blonde rascals school fundraiser.... "Golf", like reading that was going to make me a better golfer! No, no for improving my game I will stick to the only teaching I need and that is "Happy Gilmore".
Then there is "Marie Claire" which that subscription came free with a Clinique bonus last year. Well that magazine is nonsense and I am way too old for it! Sure "InStyle" is fun and I always know the latest must have lipgloss but have mercy that is a HUGE magazine. I really don't have time for that! My true loves are the decorating magazines. I gave up Mary Engelbreit's Home Companion earlier in the year. That is my testing method, I let the subscription expire and then see if I miss it or buy it every month anyway. Well, I have been a long time M.E. lover so that has to go back on the keeper list. The others I think I will just peruse at the store and buy if I so desire.
I do love my "Quick Quilts" and I will be adding another couple quilting ones to the list. So many quilts to make, so little time!
Deep down inside I am an intellect. I am interested in current events and world peace. I believe in quality journalism, the likes of "Newsweek" and "Time" so the one subscription that I will never ever never ever ever let go is....
Ending my "People" subscription...those are fighting words!!!
Come back tomorrow and I will fill you in on all the sordid twisted details of my quest for a new sewing machine!
Monday, October 8, 2007
No turning back now!
If I post it, it will be gospel. If I say I am going to make this...
... cute little advent calendar before Christmas then I will be accountable to all of you in blogland and I will do it!! Granted it is not rocket science! The picture is from the quilt store in Grandbury,TX where I bought the little cheater panel. It could probably be knocked out in a day. So I have given myself more than 2 months to complete a day long project, should be adequate even for this slacker!! Actually to be a proper and functional advent calendar it would need to be done by 12/1 yes? Oh dear the deadline looms..
We had a quiet weekend. Why is it still hot? Blonde rascal made the mother of all messes Friday night when he pulled the cushions off the couch in his room, every blanket within 100 miles and a lifetime of stuffed animals all into the living room so he could watch TV and camp out. The only person this caused problems for was Missy. You see "her boy" is normally asleep in his room with the door shut every night and she is denied access. So Friday night she went back and forth from our room to the living room trying to decide which sleeping situation was most comfy! Saturday morning we made chocolate chip pancakes, which I might add I have decided I don't like. Blueberries yes, c.c. no. It alters the taste too much. I love me some pancakes, so I don't want to veer to far from the natural flavor. Besides chocolate chips and syrup...not happening.
I have some good, fun stuff coming up this week. I think I have devised a plan to get my sweet new sewing machine. I'll divulge my scheme later in the week. Also, I had mini dental implants done for my genetically missing eye teeth 3 weeks ago. They popped some temporary teeth on there while the "real ones" or permanent ones were being created at a lab in North Dakota. Well the real ones have arrived and my appt. is Weds. I may have to have a funky before and after picture post! Yee haw! And no telling what other foolery will pop up that I will feel inspired to share...the sky's the limit! Oh yes, AND I am midway through the sewing room organization endeavor which will require some more pictures! Terribly exciting stuff around here. So if you are having trouble sleeping or something pop back on later in the week...and I'll bore you back to sleep!!
... cute little advent calendar before Christmas then I will be accountable to all of you in blogland and I will do it!! Granted it is not rocket science! The picture is from the quilt store in Grandbury,TX where I bought the little cheater panel. It could probably be knocked out in a day. So I have given myself more than 2 months to complete a day long project, should be adequate even for this slacker!! Actually to be a proper and functional advent calendar it would need to be done by 12/1 yes? Oh dear the deadline looms..
We had a quiet weekend. Why is it still hot? Blonde rascal made the mother of all messes Friday night when he pulled the cushions off the couch in his room, every blanket within 100 miles and a lifetime of stuffed animals all into the living room so he could watch TV and camp out. The only person this caused problems for was Missy. You see "her boy" is normally asleep in his room with the door shut every night and she is denied access. So Friday night she went back and forth from our room to the living room trying to decide which sleeping situation was most comfy! Saturday morning we made chocolate chip pancakes, which I might add I have decided I don't like. Blueberries yes, c.c. no. It alters the taste too much. I love me some pancakes, so I don't want to veer to far from the natural flavor. Besides chocolate chips and syrup...not happening.
I have some good, fun stuff coming up this week. I think I have devised a plan to get my sweet new sewing machine. I'll divulge my scheme later in the week. Also, I had mini dental implants done for my genetically missing eye teeth 3 weeks ago. They popped some temporary teeth on there while the "real ones" or permanent ones were being created at a lab in North Dakota. Well the real ones have arrived and my appt. is Weds. I may have to have a funky before and after picture post! Yee haw! And no telling what other foolery will pop up that I will feel inspired to share...the sky's the limit! Oh yes, AND I am midway through the sewing room organization endeavor which will require some more pictures! Terribly exciting stuff around here. So if you are having trouble sleeping or something pop back on later in the week...and I'll bore you back to sleep!!
Friday, October 5, 2007
Dear Santa, My sewing machine sucks!
It's not that I don't appreciate having a 17 year old base model Singer, with a straight AND zigzag stitch (woo~hoo!), because I do. I know there are people who would love to even have a machine and if you bring me a new machine Santa, I will donate my old Singer to someone who would love it. I said donate, I won't even try to sell it on E-bay (see I already looked and you can't even give this model away on E-Bay!)The old Singer has served me well. It started out by sewing clothing for me in college. The fabric was cheap, but I was 20 years old and skinny and hot, so I could pull it off. However, I am no longer skinny or hot or 20 so I don't sew clothing for myself. If I had a little girl I would sew cute dresses...but I don't, I have a 7 year old blonde rascal boy (and I wouldn't trade him, even for a sweet girl to sew for!) So I moved on to sewing decorative pillows and curtains and baby gifts and even a duvet cover, etc...all the usual little hobby sewing.
Now that I have been bitten by the quilting bug my machine has become even more blatantly inadequate! These new machines are computerized and have all the bells and whistles to make quilting a breeze! I NEED bells and whistles and I NEED quilting to be a breeze! AND they do embroidery! Shut~up Santa I really did say embroidery! Think of the dish towel and tote bags and baby gifts I could monogram! There are like 62,000 stitches to choose from on these machines, I mean I could practically sit back and eat a piece of cheesecake while my new machine pieces a quilt!
Santa, I really have (tried anyway) been good this year. I know there was that unfortunate incident while in Chicago....
but you see I was trying to befriend a member of the mafia, I wanted to hear the inside scoop, the lowdown if you will, so I had to look the part, look trustworthy of handling that kind of information. I pulled it off really well, huh? But Santa that was really the ONLY time this year that I have done anything even remotely mischievous or silly or illegal...
Anyway, I suppose it could be worse...I could be making a quilt on this baby...
Don't ya kinda wish though new machines at least came in a beautiful piece of furniture like this?
Thursday, October 4, 2007
Missy, the wonder pup, makes a new friend!
Missy, our cute as a button 7 month old miniature dachshund, is such a little pistol. She has absolutely no idea that she is an 8lb hot dog. What she does not have in size she makes up for in personality and attitude! She is up for any activity, has to be in the middle of everything and no challenge is too big for her.
We have a pasture next to our front yard. This is not normally where our cattle are. Those bad boys are normally in the back pasture. But alas the front pasture needed a little "mowing" so we get the cows right on that. I am from Houston remember, a tenderfoot city girl, I married into all of this cowboy stuff, so I am clueless. They are boy cows(which is an oxymoron because cows are girls), but they are not bulls because, well they can't be "the baby daddy" due to a little gruesome population control procedure that they all endured, so I believe they are called steers! All of that info is really not necessary for this story, just shines a little light on my bovine ignorance!
So anyway, the steers are in the pasture right next to our front yard. So when Missy goes into the front yard to do the doo, she is immediately sidetracked and perplexed by these huge smelly creatures in her territory. She must get to the bottom of this.
"Hey...hey you! What ARE you and why are you in my yard?"
"MMMmmooooooooooooo!"
"MOM!!"
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
My Boy.
My adorable love of my life blonde rascal boy, while I was kissing and hugging and squeezing him at bedtime last night, said to me...."Mom you smell like a sweat sock casserole!" Oh my gosh that little imp! Now people I don't dig ditches or anything for a living where I might be a little malodorous at the end of the day. Granted I go to the gym everyday...but I shower for heavens sake!!! Of course I cackled loudly with laughter, because you have to admit that was a good one, which was the end result he was looking for. Hmmmm...I wonder where he inherited that need to be a clown???
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Quilty Homework
Our homework from my quilt class last week was to complete our block and read a few pages in the book about the block we are going to make this Thurs. Yipee....I finished my homework with one day to spare! That is sooo not how it would have gone down in college. In college I would get warmed up to start a paper at about 10pm the night before it was due. Then there would be rounds of Mountain Dew and No Doz (this was the pre Red Bull era) and that would keep me going til 4 or 5am. Sure I would get my paper turned in on time but then I would skip all the rest of my classes and sleep! (Sorry Mom & Dad, I know you were footing the bill for all that nonsense!) Exactly the kind of thing I would just KILL brown haired 19 year old rascal for now! We live and learn... thank you Lord for that! Well truthfully it was all due to the bad influence of my roommate Cathy. She was a smart little toot and the all-nighter thing always panned out for her. Studying was never my cup of tea, or Mountain Dew as the case may be, so I figured I would follow her lead and procrastinate until the last possible minute! Thank goodness I do not live with Cathy now or I might have been tempted to give the Red Bull a run for its money and stayed up tomorrow night to finish my quilty homework! I have changed my evil ways from the good old college days though, well some of them anyway! Cathy I know you are out there "blurking" ( blog lurking as my friend Kristen calls it)!! Now you have to come out of the woodwork and defend your bad study habits!!!! She knows I love her.... AND I have to say she, and our other roommate Joetta, (I also suspect her of blurking) who I might add abandoned Cathy and I our jr. year to get married, are the ones who inspired me to start sewing!!! Those fab wrap skirts of the early 90's. I owe the dawning of my sewing hobby to those two!
Anyway, now that my bedroom closet has been cleaned out I am moving on to the sewing room closet. It is a disaster of epic proportions. I am going to work on it and I will then show you my future quilting projects which I seem to have accumulated a lot of. This quilting thing is a sickness!
Monday, October 1, 2007
Yummy Dr. Pepper Cake!
I made this cake last night. 19 year old brown haired rascal and cute sweet girlfriend were over for dinner. It was de-lish. I sent the remains home with both of them so that I wouldn't eat ALL of it! Aunt Gay emailed the recipe to me. When Gay sends a recipe you can be assured that it will bring down the house with rave reviews and go directly into the keeper file! That Gay, she is the total package...she quilts, cooks like a chef, gardens, cans & jellies the "garden results", has a warm inviting home...the list goes on and on! I wish she lived closer so some of it would wear off on me!!
Anyhoo...go directly to the store and get the stuff to make this cake. Your family will be singing your praises for days, weeks, even years!!!
German Chocolate Cake mix
Vanilla instant pudding, small box
2/3 C. vegetable oil
4 eggs
12 oz. Dr. Pepper
1 t. vanilla
Mix all together following "mixing" directions on cake box. Grease and dust with cocoa a 13x9 pan. Bake at 325 for 45 minutes. Cool.
Icing:
8oz. cream cheese
1 lb. powdered sugar, sifted (although I never sift!!)
1/4 C. cocoa
1 stick butter
1 t. vanilla
Cream all together and spread on cooled cake.
Enjoy!
P.S. This is a 100% fat free recipe!
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