WWQP Bulletin Board Chat

Monday afternoon, after football

2010-02-08T16:30:00.002-05:00

Hi everybody;
Sigh. . .7 more months until Football season now.
For those of you who watched the game, it was a really good one. I didn't really care who won, we had a few folks over and had fun. The back up quarterback for the Saints is Mark Brunell, he was the quarterback for the Jaguars when the team was first formed. I'm really happy for him, and glad he was a part of a winning team.
As in previous posts, we have Comcast cable, and didn't see the "Tim Tebow" comercial that was so hyped. Did see 2 with him and his Mom in it, but not the one that got so much criticism.
I'm going to try to see it on line.
The Tebow family are sort of local heros here in the No. Fla. area. He was home schooled, but in Fla. a child can take part in any extra programs, such as sports, or debate, etc. He was the H.S. quarterback, and went to Florida, which is the "big" school in this area of Fla.
I heard his Mom speak about 2 years ago, and she was just wonderfull.
Now, we have lots of leftover chips and dip, and Mojito stuff. I'd never made it before, so didn't think it had such a kick, but it does. It's the rum.
Back to cleaning out boxes of old pictures. I don't know what to do with pictures of people that no one knows. Pitch them? What about the newspaper clippings of the late Father-in-law? I better ask DH on that one. They were all when his dad was a mayor of a small town in So. Fla.
Stay warm.
Sara in Fla.

Comcast

2010-02-03T10:50:00.001-05:00

Pat in Flint - That is crazy, having to pay $1.99 svc. chge. for paying a bill in person. I paid mine in person, recently, and there was no sign on the wall advising me of a fee. I'll check next month's bill!

I had to call Verizon today about a twenty-cent charge on my cell phone bill.... for a text message. Yes, I received it. No, I did not open it because it was SPAM and I had deleted it. I still got charged twenty cents, just because it came into my "inbox". Customer service was very nice and removed it, and I learned I can block all text messages to my phone, so I did. I don't "text" and won't have to worry about these charges anymore.

Sometimes the Amish lifestyle looks very attractive......

Comcast

2010-02-02T17:44:00.002-05:00

I left Comcast a year ago and have AT@T. Phone, TV and cable. Don't know that it is any better than Comcast, but I do know I don't want any kind of dish. I keep an old TV and an old VCR so I can watch Simply Quilts that I recorded a few years ago. One thing a lot of folks don't know about Comcast is they charge you $1.99 if you pay your bill in person. I never did, but a friend of mine thought it was saving them and herself time and money and the Comcast store was something she drove by every week on her way to the grocery. Her son was looking at her bill one day and noticed this "Service Fee" of $1.99. Donna did not know what it was for so she asked next time she was in. That is what they told her. She hasn't been in the store since. She still has Comcast - the only cable she can get in her neighborhood.
Pat in Flint

Don't blame me, blame Doris!

2010-02-02T15:58:00.002-05:00

I believe it was Doris who suggested that I contact a Janome dealer about 2 years ago right after the Pad. Ky. quilt show, saying they still had some show specials on sale. Or, it might have been the Houston, TX. show. Anyway, I found their web site, E mailed them, ect. and bought it sight unseen. (Actually I had scoped it out at the local dealer earlier in the week) The dealer was from somewhere in Texas.
Now, of course I also recommend that one gets a machine that can be serviced locally.
My Bernia, the lemon that it was, never had what I'd call good service.
As for Comcast, dear Doris, we are all stuck with what my DH calls the no service dept.
We have tried the dish network, and one other, but go back to Comcast. With the new HD TV that DH has it is a wonderful picture, especially for football games. I do enjoy the home and garden shows, and the DIY shows. Most likely watch way too much TV, could be doing more useful things, but get lazy.
With this gloomy weather and having the head cold from h--- I have been adicted to DIY and other such stuff.
As for editing-- the only thing I know that up at the top, above the "Title" section is a setting that says Edit Posts. I never see my spelling mistakes until I've already posted, then it's too late.
Hopefully others know what it's like to get the fingers on the wrong keys.
Sara in Fla. who is getting a bit better each day

Would someone please tell me

2010-02-01T22:26:00.002-05:00

How to edit my posts...ancient..not the way it's spelled in the first post.
Rosey

Comcast

2010-02-01T22:21:00.003-05:00

Sounds like they have you by the short hairs, Doris. What else is new in business. I guess I'd switch servers, stop using their services but I'm not sure one is any better than the other.

We have been sitting here with two anciety boxy television sets that were about 14" square and the picture not clear, for many years. Finally, himself went out and bought a new television set. It has digital whatever in it. But we still cannot get WNED, my favorite station. I've had withdrawl symptoms all year but am over it....almost. I hardly watch television anyway but it sure burns my a** when the choices they give you on these satellite dishes or cable are nothing but old reruns and cr*p.

Vent away. Won't do you much good with Comcast, Doris. But let us all know how this turns out.

Rosey ( sometimes forget who I am !!)

major rant

2010-02-01T18:11:00.002-05:00

Please parden my venting, and boy-oh-boy do I need to let off steam.

Rant alerg, re: Comcast, our black-hearted and only Cable TV provider in our neighborhood.

As of today, Comcast moved a channel I watch 5 days a week, to the digital tier. (They did this to Oprah's channel a couple years ago, but I never watched that one)

This means I cannot receive it on two of our TVs where I usually watch this particular channel - the kitchen and the sewing room - unless I want to rent a large, bulky, ugly digital receiver for $$/month for one of the TVs, or pay double for both. That would also mean I can no longer record on the VCR if I spring for the digital receiver box. It won't work that way. AS IF there is room for one in the sewing room. Did I mention the digital receiver boxes are large, bulky, and ugly,,, and there is no where to put one in my sewing room???

Oh sure, I now I will have to rent a DVR from them for $25/mo. per box by the time you figure in all their add-on taxes, fees, and "kunkle" charges, which is like .... well, you get the picture..... highway robbery.

I cannot remember when I have been this angry at Comcast. (They will NEVER get my telephone business) And don't get me started about their recent ad campaign with Shaq, talking about the competing phone company's "kunkle" (?) charges. Hel-lo!?! Comcast's are just as bad, but they don't mention that in their ads.....
I'm convinced Comcast is our on-shore axis of evil. Argh!

Rant over, and banging head against desk, trying to not think about the $300/year for one TV that alone, this is going to cost us.

the big thaw

2010-01-31T18:02:00.000-05:00

Jane in NC - Sara got a deal, for sure. I have never seen anyone pay less than $1,250 for a 6600, most spent $1,500 when they first came out. That was one reason I did not upgrade for my 6500, as I spent less than either of those prices and couldn't justify the extra cost.

DH and I stayed on the front edge of the winter storm, all the way to Atlanta, GA on Friday morning. Thank goodness the interstates were all clear - and dry! - for our drive home today. Even Monteagle Mountain! We went down to celebrate DS's 28th birthday (today). Nashville had 4 or 5 inches of snow, some rain that froze on top of the snow, so it has a nice crust on top. That rarely happens around here. Last night's low was supposed to be 8F but I hear it was only 12F. Atlanta was much warmer. Sophie is fascinated with the snow . . . still a puppy. 'nuff said. LOL

SARA

2010-01-30T20:55:00.002-05:00

You have ruined my day. First you run 6 miles in bad weather despite being barely recovered from a serious infection and then you tell me you got your Janome 6600 for half the price I paid even with a discount. It's not fair. I'm not mad at Carl, though, so you can tell him I wish him the best in both business and with whatever it is that's had him so low so long. But I do stick my tongue out at you.

By the way, Sara and everyone else, despite my crabbiness I hope you will enter something in the quilt show in August. I promise that if you send it to me it will be safe. The only reason the last time you sent one it seemed to have been lost it was delivered by some incompetent and landed on the porch of someone who was out of town. That's pretty unlikely to happen again. It would be even better if you come for the show. The B&B where you stayed last time is just a few miles from me but I was so busy with the show we couldn't connect. I've backed off being chair of anything and will just be a worker bee for a couple of two hour shifts. I think it was Jill in Portland who entered a quilt in the guild show two years ago and she won a first or second place in her category and was really excited to receive a huge basket of quilty stuff.

The NC Quilt Symposium in 2o12 will be great fun and I have two beds I can offer if you want to just pay as a commuter. Ooops I've already announced at a guild meeting that the two beds would be up for grabs by guild members as I live so much closer to the venue at Western North Carolina University than most of the members of the guild. Since my guild is that year's sponsoring guild it will be a frantically busy time for many of us. It's too soon to tell if there will be any takers for the beds. All meals and rooms will be available at the newest dorm on campus. As soon as the details are worked out between the committee and the university they will be published on the guild web site and I'll publish them on the BB.

As noted on national news we've had some rough weather. I saw on tonight's news that Asheville received 11" of snow. Interestingly the temperature, while it stayed in the 30sF it never froze so a lot of the snow that fell melted. It fell at such a rate, though that in my yard it is still about 6"deep. Since both my Internet connection and TV signal come via satellites I had neither all day yesterday and this morning. Most of my neighbors have been without power for about 36 hours as this heavy wet snow brings down trees with some falling on power lines. It was warm enough this afternoon that most of the snow on the Internet satellite, a large eyesore in the yard, had slid off. I slogged out there in hiking boots and swept the rest off so here I am. As long as Shadow and I were outdoors we went down the steep driveway .4 mile to pick up the mail and then slogged back up the hill. Boy, was that a work out. My heart rate was at the top of the safe range for me and we were both blowing like race horses when we reached home. I had also unbuttoned my coat. I hadn't moved a muscle for several days and I felt good and not sluggish for the first time since about last Thursday. There is a small tree down across the driveway but way too big for me to move and coming back up after I'd climbed over it each way spotted Koko, the neighbor's Boykin Spaniel, an occasional visitor at my house, and following her three younger siblings then followed by Betty and Ken, the dog lovers, owners of the Boykins, who won't allow me to board Shadow when I'm out of town. He has a big tractor with a blade and all kinds of other features. They had been out walking with their beasts and were coming down from the area of my house. I told Ken he was just the guy I'd been thinking about and he has offered to come up the driveway tomorrow and remove the tree and plow the whole thing. I have two appointments Tuesday so I won't have to reset them. It's supposed to start warming more in the next few days.

Welp after that exciting report which, no doubt has heats beating wildly, I will bid you all good night.

Jane

Hi

2010-01-30T14:27:00.002-05:00

Greetings from rainy No. Fla.
I'm back among the living, thanks to strong anti-biotics. Went to the Dr. Wed. morning, had a sinus infection, and it was starting in the lungs.
Basicly I've been a slug on the couch all week. Today was our run,so last night decided that I needed to get my act together, and went. It was only 6 miles. I say "Only" because that is a short distance at this time in the practice. Thankfully I had lots to tissues, and cough drops. Whized, sneezed and coughed a lot, but made the whole 6 miles. The last 1 I had to just walk.
My body most likely needed to still be home in bed, but my mind said do it. The race is Feb. 21st which is just about 3 weeks away.
There hasn't been any progress in the quilty room this week. DH is in there now moving the shelves from one room to the closet in the other. This will free up a lot of storage space.
ROSY-my last post wasn't clear. I ment to say that DD said the schools where she is were cancelled that day. She lives in N.D. just about 30 miles south of Winnepeg.
JANE-I believe my newish machine is a Janome 6600 also. I truly love it. Got it for $1,000 about 1 and 1/2 years ago, a deal at the time, I think. The only problem I've ever had was one time when I jamed the knee lift in (unknown to me) and everything froze. It is a workhorse, also love my little Janome Gem that I take to classes.
Does anyone watch What Not to Wear? It is on the TLC chanel, and I think it's a hoot. I whish they would come take me to N. Y. and give me a $5,000 shopping spree. The people on there are much worse off than I, at least I have some fashion sense. I'm currently wearing a size 14, but the tips are the same. Love to see what they do with the hair and makeup also. Guess I'm still a girl at heart.
Nothing new in DH's dept. We are still waiting for the Dr. to order a chest X ray so we can go on to the next step. He is feeling well, so that is a plus. The cold wave went away, so did the increase in businness. That's OK, he needed some slower time.
OK, that's about it for me.
Take care, and stay well!
Sara in Fla.

I can't get into the Chat board

2010-01-29T08:20:00.002-05:00

But I can post, apparently...this has come up.

Jane, I just wanted to say that you made me chuckle with your co-dependent comment. At least you can laugh at yourself. Anyone who can do that...can't be allllll that baaaaddd...lol.

We'v had bitterly cold temps here in Southern Ontario but I like the cold and the snow is pretty to look at; the sun is out today...just have to dress up warmly.

Took a book out of the library the other day as I was out of reading material and slipped out, undercover, as I'm embarassed to be caught reading these things and actually enjoying them, a book called "Jackie after Jack". Well, not only did I enjoy reading it, I finished it at 4:30 this morning when I woke up. It's nicely written, gives, to me, an honest portrait of a complex individual but I still, for the life of me, aside from the money she got out of him, understand the marriage to Onassis. He was not a nice man. Anyway, that's my literary intellectual (?) stuff for this morning. The book is going back to the library today.

Today is mop-cutting day. Better finish off the porridge and get dressed...warmly.

Rosey

oooops

2010-01-28T14:30:00.001-05:00

sorry about the yellow line . I couldn't get rid of it on my computer but never realised it would show when I sent it. Hugs Bee inNz.

a DUG checking in

2010-01-27T14:18:00.002-05:00

and a hot one at that . Mid summer and it is great, we could do with some rain up this end of the country , Marion will be having rain ,I think. Not much happening here too hot to do much. Jane, good news about your brother and Sarah, get well soon. I am still having problems with my DH , he is getting more unsteady on his feet all the time , has really become so much worse since Christmas. We have hospital appts early next month but I feel not too much can be done. It is horrible to see a very clever and fit man come to this. As you can imagine I am worried sick and really feel we may not have him too much longer. I can't leave him as he falls all the time and have to find someone to watch him if I go out, even shopping.I am trying to think positive and start quilting tonight. Still hand sewing as I can keep him company but I really enjoy handwork. We are set for thunder today so will have to give the dog his pills. Big wimp , he is obviously not a gun dog . Or a water dog either you should see us try to give him a bath LOL. We had a joint birthday for Dh and DS2 on Sat and our 21month GD was the entertainment, she performed really well and we all enjoyed her antics, just put music on and she is away.I so enjoy this kid she has a gorgeous little face and grin to match. She is to be a flower girl tomorrow , that will be something to see. Very casual wedding so she will be in her element, loves flowers so expect her wreath of flowers will not be on her head for long. We are not going {DH} but will await the video with bated breath. One place she went to she wandered off inside the house and emerged with a bottle of vodka under one arm and a sausage in her mouth, told you she is the entertainment!!!! Love to all and keep warm, hugs Beein NZ.

DB & JUST STUFF

2010-01-26T20:43:00.001-05:00

Sara, my brother is doing remarkably well according to the conversation I had with him Sunday. He’s now staying with a friend who was my reporter during his hospitalization. He insists I not come out there so I’m backing off my usual co-dependent care taking urge. He expects to go home in a few days but will still be dependant on others for shopping, driving etc. but he insists he has more offers of help than he can use. Who am I to argue? I even went out to get not only the seasonal flu shot I get every year but had the H1N1 shot even though I’m very low risk for that just in case I did go out there. I’m sure his immune system is still compromised.

Been playing with the Janome 6600 and having a fair number of messes but re-reading the directions usually brings me back to a good result. Have made about half a dozen blocks for DD’s wedding quilt. I’m buried in pricey batiks in greens and purples but find myself in need of some more of the appropriate values. I should never have started out with separate green and purple blocks. There are some gorgeous combinations of those colors and should have just proceeded from the outset with one combo dark, another medium and a light. The whole thing would be unified and placing the finished blocks much simpler. I’ve even thought about starting over. However I have near thirty blocks already done. I have acquired some gorgeous combination fabrics in a second round of buying in three yard lengths and will start using them instead of struggling with the darn strips already cut. Those jelly roll type collections included a lot of stuff I felt inappropriate for my purposes. Now that I’ve thought “out loud” so to speak right here that’s what I’ll do from this point on. When I am finished using them I’ll decide whether to proceed with additional purchases. What the heck; I’m going for broke lately anyway.

Weather here is strange. It can get near 60*F one day and two days later it is snowing and temp in the teens. The creeks and rivers are near flood level now that the ice has finished melting. After the terrible drought of the past five years in which springs and wells have dried up it is raining almost every day it isn’t snowing. Since I’m dependant on a well I’m happy to have it but enough is enough. I guess my light gathering ability ain’t what it yusta be because sewing in the daytime is not comfortable on the many dreary dark days we’ve been having.

Well, have a trip to Asheville tomorrow morning for what I assume will be the last visit with the hand surgeon. I’d best get moving toward bed via cleaning up the kitchen. Wouldn’t you know it is supposed to be beautiful tomorrow. Shadow and I haven’t had a good trek in days but I did get to the gym today and felt much better for it. Been putting it off too much lately. I’ve resolved to start getting up at 6 AM as I did for years even after I retired and get myself a high protein breakfast to avoid the blood sugar crash and head for the gym first thing. They open at 6. Then I’ll not be so tempted to eat out afterward as I often do for lunch. That’s why I’m getting almost nowhere on that five pound challenge. It goes down a couple of pounds then pops right back up.

Jane

Ontario is a huge province

2010-01-26T18:56:00.003-05:00

Sara, it may have been somewhere in Ontario that schools were closed but not as far as I know in the southern part of Ontario...west to east. The Ottawa region got the highest rainfall in years yesterday. The Ottawa canal, where people skate for miles, is closed temporarily for safety reasons. A friend, whose father was in the Senate, years ago, used to skate to work at the Parliament buildings from his home in Ottawa; when the ice melted, he paddled his canoe to work. Up here in the country, we missed most of the storm that went further south and along through Lake Erie and then veered inland to go north/east to Ottawa, our capital city, for you folks in the US. It's turning very cold again and our laneway is full of thick ice making walking treacherous. But, it's winter. And tummy bugs and colds are going around here, too. Nothing to do but bear through a cold, knowing that in a week's time it's generally gone but it's aggravating when you can't sleep at night.

Winter is a great time to find quilty projects to do. My studio is set up for peaceful things to hear and see and smell and I can close the french doors to the rest of the house if I need to. At Christmas, I splurged and purchased a diffuser from Young Living Oils. I use YL Theives Oil in it. That and my Bose radio and a Nawang Khechog disc playing in it and I'm all set to zone out though as yet, I'm not entirely productive. Maybe just sitting here thinking about quilty things is enough for now.

Rosey

Where is everyone?

2010-01-26T18:37:00.002-05:00

Jane-how is your brother?
Rosey-Are you having blizzard conditions? My DD said school was cancelled there yesterday
due to high winds.
What's up with the DUGS?
Between sessions of coughing and blowing my nose I have gone through bins of fabric, ironed some, pitched some. It is taking longer than I thought (of course) but is coming along.
Thinking of trying to sleep proped up on several pillows tonight. Maybe I could breath better. Last night was misery. Today was good until just now. Going to do the netti pot again and take some Advil.
Sara in Fla.

this & that

2010-01-25T16:23:00.002-05:00

Hi, it's Monday afternoon, and my head is full of water. I've taken sinus stuff, and Tylonol and don't think I should take anything else. Just want to sleep for 2 days.
Did anyone watch the football yesterday evening? I like Payton Maning alot, but think it would be nice to see New Orleans win for a change.
It's actually "spring" here and I sat outside for 15 min. and soaked up some sun. Felt good. Otherwise I'm a slug and laying on the couch drinking hot tea with lemon.
If there was some whisky in the house I'd hava a hot toddy, but don't feel like driving anywhere to get some.
Yucky in Fla.
Sara

Posted this as an answer....

2010-01-22T15:48:00.002-05:00

but decided it probably needed it's own post.

Our local Project Linus group is making 200 quilts to be donated to the Haiti children through Heart to Heart International. The goal is to donate 10,000 quilts. Perhaps your own local chapters are doing the same.

Kathi

The cold

2010-01-22T08:38:00.002-05:00

Why is it called the "cold" when you don't feel cold. Last night had chest cough, this morning feel like I've been hit by a bus.
Airborn, salt water gargle, etc. are my new best friends.
Thinking of staying in my bathrobe all day.
Thankful that the tornados that were in Bradford Co. didn't come here.
Sara in Fla.

HAITI DONATIONS

2010-01-20T10:35:00.001-05:00

The Salvation Army has a page on their web site dedicated to Haiti donation. Couldn't be much easier.

Jane

HAITI DONATIONS

2010-01-20T10:13:00.002-05:00

In my experience as a public defender lawyer I was always looking for alternatives to incarceration for my many druggies, alcoholics and the otherwise broken down which made up a large portion of my practice. You can't beat the Salvation Army. Their overhead is extremely low as their personnel are all dedicated to the cause. It is almost a monastic organization and many are married couples. They make a minimal living and are dedicated for the long haul. While I am not a Christian I think those folks really walk the walk with their lives. Also they are very experienced at this kind of thing and performed admirably after Katrina and throughout war times. If they are involved in Haiti which I assume they are, they will get my Haiti money.

A side note. My brother, who lived in Japan for 7 or 8 years in the late fifties and early sixties, became acquainted with a Canadian Dominican priest who had been interned in China for years during WWII along with other missionaries. They suffered great deprivation and near starvation and he said that the strongest most steadfast of all were the Salvation Army folks, the depth of whose faith he envied. I sound like an evangelist but I'm agnostic to the core. But if you are going to talk the talk they get it.

Jane

Gifts for Haiti

2010-01-19T18:19:00.002-05:00

If you decide to donate for Haiti relief, and if you are involved with a mainstream church, may I suggest you donate through your church. I know that the Lutherans (ELCA) and the Methodists have standing world relief organizations already on the ground in Haiti. The gift you make would not pay for advertising or inflated salaries for top administrators. If you choose to give another way, please check to make sure it's a legitimate charity...
Things are warmer here, thank God.
I sent my mother's quilt home with my brother over the weekend to make sure it's going to fit. I think it's shrinking as I quilt it. It's almost done, if it's big enough!

Haiti

2010-01-19T15:53:00.002-05:00

I wasn't going to post anything, but after reading a post just received from missionary friends decided I would ask for prayer for missions/aid workers.
Here in Fla. we are having flights (mostly So. Fla and Orlando) of children that are orphans, and survivors. People are sleeping in the streets. If you are already involved with a group that does aid/such as the red cross, etc. please support them.
DH is out of town, but will talk about what organization to give to when he returns.
OK, enough,
The sun is shining, and I am well.
Sara in Fla.

Monday morning

2010-01-18T07:05:00.002-05:00

When I was growing up, Monday was always 'wash' day. I did mine yesterday...six B&B guests for the week-end and my washing machine and dryer were going all day; still have more to go this morning before I leave for town.

Jane, you are probably at the point that I was when the market took a tumble. I had been living parsimoniously but lost enough to buy two cars and decided, to heck with it. My kids are only going to spend it and well they should but I am doing the odd nice thing for myself now and not feeling guilty about it. Why don't you give your other sewing machines away and be done with them. Enjoy your new one. Smart shop owners being members of a quilt guild. Sounds like they will be good people to deal with. And, how is your brother faring after his operation.

Doris, thank you for the imagine of daffodils trying to poke their heads up somewhere. I just don't want a picture of them in the dead of winter here. (Jean is kindly refraining from mentioning hers out west as well although the west coast of Canada has had a lot of rain lately).

Lavinia, regardless of who took the picture of Bean, it is quite spectacular.

Repairs this morning to the wood stove insert in the livingroom. An iron bar split with the intense heat a few weeks ago. I'm assuming that it was a support bar to whatever it was supporting and will feel reassured when it's repaired.

Visited with my two year old granddaughter on the week-end. Addison is her name. She's a blond cutie with energy to burn. She's been in day-care from early on, not something I'm used to but she's a very well-socialized youngster for two. Her parents are teaching her manners, to share, to be polite...all the good things that parents do, which makes being around her all the nicer.

Off early to my volunteer work called Telecheck. Sixty calls to Seniors but there are two volunteers to handle the calls between 8:30 a.m./12 noon. We're fine as long as everyone answers and there are no problems...otherwise, it can be stressful but thankfully we have a supervisor at the other end of the line in a city an hour away and she takes care of emergencies once we follow procedure.

Sarah, I netipotted my sinuses this morning and thought of you. I wouldn't share my neti pot with anyone, either. I netipotted my nose and put my corn remover on. Age does those things to you.

Rosey

Machines and other stuff

2010-01-18T04:15:00.002-05:00

I have to fess up, I didn't take the picture of Bean, my sister did. She's taking a photography class and that was the beginning of action shots.

Jane, congrats on a new machine. There's a 6500/6600 Yahoo group that for me was an immense help when I had a 6600. They have files about various things, a whole file about threads that's great. I am currently trying to sell my Babylock Espire and downsize (I do have a small Pfaff Smart One)if y'all hear of anyone who might be interested. It does everything but the dishes, sews sideways and diagonally too. It is top of the line before embroidery.

We finally warmed up to 50 after 12 days of below freezing. It's raining but no one cares as long as it isn't snow. Lots of falling trees as the ground is so saturated the roots are not holding. So there's always something going on, it seems. I spent the snowed-in time straightening up the fabric shelves, my desk, and the notebooks in which I stored pages from magazines and printed out stuff. Threw out as much as I saved from those. Bought some clear plastic sleeves and used 100 of them. Big DUH..got all done (took 3 days) and realized I could have put articles back to back and saved 50 sleeves LOLOL.

Still trying to figure out programs for the second half of the year for the quilt club. If y'all have done anything exciting (?) interesting (?) give me your ideas, please. I called each member to see what they'd like, and the biggest response was, "Well, I can't think of anything." But they all want something new. I have several places bookmarked online which have been helpful.

Looking forward to Spring!