Welcome Husqvarna 6240 :D

Here's my sturdy new little girl - I have such bad luck with sewing machines - I think I plumb wear them out. I really wanted a basic workhorse machine that wouldn't get the $hits when I use it for more than 5 minutes in one day --- and I think this girl is going to fit the bill. I bought it on kijiji - as near as I can tell, the machine was made in 1976 (that's the date on the manual, anyways) - this thing is HEAVY! The machine body is metal, and it runs like a charm. The seller said she has her machines serviced regularly and I don't think she was exaggerating - the machine ran perfectly from the minute we turned it on to test it! I made a crazy quilt block to test things out - I'm a happy camper!

My eyes are watering!

HOLY CRAP I sat down to post some pictures just as my 19 year old got home from work. He's going back out so I went in to get him a little snack, but I had to scuttle quickly from the kitchen because the smell of his stinky feet is making my eyes water! I can see the snail trails of foot sweat he's leaving across my kitchen floor - good grief what a stench!!!



Here are a few projects I've finished lately - some gift bags, beer pillowcases and a quilt I'm working on for a special young man (the one with the stinking feet, LOL) :D

BTW - he doesn't know about the quilt and he doesn't read my blog, so to the family members that DO read my blog - don't mention it on Facebook, LOL!!

Teaching hubby a lesson :D

Me, upon hearing oven beep: Can you please come take the brownies out of the oven so I can test them? (psoriasis hands, I don't want to risk dropping the pan)
He: OK. (and he takes it out for me)
Me, after testing: Can you please put this back in - they're not done yet.
Him, in disbelief: How long were they in for?
Me, wondering wtf his problem is: 23 minutes.
Him, still in disbelief: How long are they SUPPOSED to cook for???!!
Me, ready to poke HIM with the toothpick: 23-28 minutes!!! GLARE!!!

5 minutes later, as oven is beeping:

Me: Can you please come take the brownies out again?
Him: Total silence - cos he's smart, and he LEARNED, lolol.

Brownies were done to perfection at the 28 minute mark, and hopefully he learned a lesson - don't question my cooking skills when there are hot pans of brownies in my vicinity, or you might end up WEARING them!!

OK, it wasn't really THAT bad, but he was actually surprised that the brownies weren't done the first time the oven beeped --- WEIRD!!! Anyways - the brownies worked out deliciously - I'll definitely be making THAT recipe again! What a nice supper we had tonight - chicken stew and dumplings, cheese bread and latte bars. Thanks, Lisa, from The Cutting Edge of Ordinary, for such a great - and EASY!!! - brownie recipe :)

More sewing, and birthday wishes!

Here are a set of pillowcases I made this morning to go in my "Bazaar" box (for upcoming shelter bazaars), and here are the 15 cage quilts I made this month - if you click on the picture to enlarge it, look very closely at the top left side - I actually quilted my name onto the quilt, LOL!!! I'm so weird :D

Have a FABULOUS day - my temporary new psoriasis medication has kicked in and I feel a lot better, so life looks a lot brighter right now!!! And HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONA!!!

It's in the bag ... or the case! ;)

My psoriasis is flaring up like a son of a ***** - the heavy duty medication I started taking in October isn't working at all, so it's back to the dermie next week - I guess to try something else *sigh*. Getting tired of this crap - nothing is working, and the problem is getting worse! Sometimes it's so bad I can't walk, and sometimes I can't do much with my hands because they're too raw. 'nuff about that - there are people out there with far worse problems, so I try not to complain too much! But once in a while I start feeling sorry for myself - I whine for a while, then I buck up and get over it :D I'm in the whining stage right now, LOLOL.


Here's what I've finished up so far this month - some snowflake gift bags, and a pillowcase :) I also got some cage quilts finished, but they all look the same and I've posted many pics of them, so just take my word for it - they're cute, they bust stash, and they'll make some 4 legged critters feel comfy :) January's quilts are going to Kate and Me Cat Rescue, a local group who provided my friend Linda with her little kitty Punkin :)

I get my empty nest back!

Our youngest son completed his health and safety training in December to become a member of IBEW353. His dad and older brother are already members of the union. We found out today that DS2 starts working tomorrow in downtown Toronto, working for the same company that his dad and brother have worked at since '84 and '07 - I couldn't be prouder! I've already warned him that he has to go through the "My son is now a pre-apprentice!" hazing that I put his brother through last summer - attack of the photographing momma!!! As long as I get up early enough (they leave at 5:00 a.m. to head into Toronto) I'll get photos :D

His dad is going to drop him off on a street corner tomorrow morning, and he has to catch a bus and then 2 subway trains to get to to his location. I hope he isn't as directionally challenged as his mom (aka ME!) or he's screwed, LOL. I know he was hoping to be sent to a location that wasn't on the busline so he'd have to take the car - I'm glad he won't have to do that - I'm already nervous enough about his brother driving into Toronto - if I had 2 of them doing that, I'd totally lose it!

I don't have a photo to post that relates to this story, so enjoy looking at my Zoomer explaining the facts of life :D

BTW - there's a major storm headed towards Toronto - it should arrive sometime tomorrow morning -- aaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiieeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee YIKES! Two kids and hubby headed into that - I'll be a wreck all damn day long!

The threads of 2008 :D

Last year I saw someone post on their blog, a photo of the empty spools of thread they had created over the last year. I thought it was a great idea, so I saved all my spools last year, and I officially present to you ... The Threads of 2008 :p Actually it isn't all of the spools - there were an additional 13 wooden spools that I freecycled to someone who collected them. I don't know why I didn't take a picture before she picked them up *doh*. So when you look at and admire this spectacular photo *rolls eyes* - mentally add a bakers dozen spools!

The other picture is the last of the cage quilts (for an animal shelter) I completed in 2008 --- I'm ready to start making my 2009 batch ... my scraps better look out, because I'm coming after them!!! (Yes, I'm that corny, LOL).

Sandra :)

Happy New Year :)

Like most people, I got quite busy at Christmas/New Years so I haven't had a chance to post until now! I hope everyone had a happy and safe Christmas and New Year, and that Santa was good to you ;) December 31 and January 1 are sad days for my husband's family and mine, as we each lost a special family member on that day (1998 and 2008). I don't want to get mopey, so RIP Brian and Estella ... we miss you.

For my Christmas present my husband took me to New York (Niagara Falls area) for a bit of a fabric shopping trip - we left on January 2 and came back the next day. Left the kids at home, of course ;) Hubby got a call from work on the Friday - they wanted to know if he could come in to do a shift on the weekend (that particular person didn't know he was in New York) - he was able to send our oldest son instead - how cool is that! How convenient that said son has his own truck so getting to and from work wasn't a problem :D

I've posted pictures of the goodies I bought Stateside - such fun I had buying that stuff :D

Enjoy the pics!

Sandra :)