Thinking about........

Nursing school! I can see some of you out there....scratching your heads, wondering if I have truly lost it. Just to remind you, that happened LONG AGO, so this isn't a "mental distrubance" as Paulie asked Rocky in the last Rocky film. I've actually been entertaining this thought for a long while, like maybe 1992 or so. Wait, no, even longer than that. My mother BEGGED me to consider nursing school as I was graduating from high school back in 1980. But no, I couldn't possibly do something she thought was a good idea. My best friend in high school, Dee, went on to nursing school and did great. She makes good money, and works her hiney off three days a week as a supervisor. She also has more degrees than you can shake a stick at. In college, I was working in the school infirmary on college work-study. So, some of it will be familiar.
Back in 1997, as a single parent returning to school, I had considered it. Childcare was the major issue, and I was already having a hard time juggling work and paralegal school.
The question has been asked of me: "Why don't you just go back into the legal field?" Truthfully, I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped. Erin Brocovich made it seem like such a great career move as she spent time interviewing people in the movie. As a paralegal, I hardly interacted with the public. Pleadings, letters, phone calls, but no one on one. These past five years at home, well....sort of...have given me time to think about what I'd like to do. I decided a long time ago that I wasn't going to do anything where I had to sit still all day.
I'm still praying about it. I don't want to make an expensive mistake. I went ahead and applied at a community college here, and have requested my transcripts to be evaluated. I'm fairly certain most of them from my A.A. will transfer, except for the Algebra grade....I BARELY passed that class.
Classes start in January, and some are online. We will just see how it all works out.

I don't have anything earth-shattering to report to you this week. Just thought you like to see how the pup is doing. She went from a 20 lb 10 week old, to a 75 lb 10 month old.










Here she is doing what she does best: she's quite the kisser. And no, we haven't done the whole obedience dog school yet. I think they'd kick her out, like they did Marley.











We have found some pictures of lab mixes that resemble her. Mostly Lab-Whippet mixes. That's kind of funny to me. She's smart, a little too smart, and that would be Whippet for sure. Labs are lovable, but too friendly for their own good.





I didn't expect to get this attached this quickly, but I love her to death.


Sorry the quality isn't so great, I just wanted to show you how tall she is up against Hollywood.

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds....top done

I had a few ....mishaps....as you can see. That's what I get for trying to get done in a hurry. Nothing to keep your ego in check like a major mess up.
I did alot of reading on working with diamonds, and the information all pointed to one secret ingredient: starch! I must have used a whole can of heavy starch on this top.




I was going to use fusible, black bias tape in between the diamonds, to give it a stained glass look. I think I'm going to skip that unless you all tell me otherwise. The borders will be pieced with the scraps from the diamonds. I certainly have enough of those.

Pickle turns 6 and everything's a ch-ch-changing

All kinds of changes going on around here. Here's a big one for me: Jo-Jo and Idgy's new little brother. I haven't been around him long enough to come up with an internet-safe, nickname yet, but that is happening in the coming weeks. He's not quite a day old in this picture,what a sweet baby!









And here is the carnage that is another birthday for the Dyl Pickle. I did the whole Spiderman cake thing again this year, determined to use that character cake pan at least one more time. My fingers and nails are still blue.







I guess it didn't turn out too bad. I really don't like Wilton's buttercream frosting recipe. The picture on the directions makes everything look starry...mine was just sort of "fill in the blanks as best you can".








Then, we have this milestone: The Pickle minus two teeth! I guess I realized that it was all coming, but man, it just seemed to happen so fast this year.












Pickle's 6Th birthday falls the day after school starts, so we had the party yesterday. Jo-Jo came for the party and his pal from nursery days spent the night. Very low key this year...I'm getting too old for major productions.

Art Now For Autism

Hey, my our quilting/creative sister,Leah over at Colorful Art Girl is sponsoring a giveaway to benefit Art Now For Autism. Go by, enter, and help this mighty cause.

This month, I'm trying my best to finish the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds quilt for my son. His birthday was in May...so that's how far I am behind. I have sewn the top right corner and now working on the middle. I'll keep you posted.

Freedom of Speech is one thing....

But setting yourself up to be rammed, flipped off, or a victim of road rage is another. Check out the bumper stickers. While I do agree with some, I wouldn't be dumb enough to plaster my car with them. Someone is going to get offended. If you want to express your opinion on such, go to the polls, write the editor, or even your congressperson. But don't do this.....it's embarrassing.

Okay, I admit that I'm ready for them to go back....

(*Editor's Note* I apologize for writing this post in such a way as to leave the reader wondering about me being pregnant. This factory was shut down in 2003 after the birth of the Dyl Pickle. I've made the changes below. Thanks for reading!
Beth)

but to be fair, I'll tell you that this summer has been an absolute BLUR! Lots of packing, unpacking, painting, sewing, cooking, playing, etc. have gone on. I've seen more (preschool) drama than daytime soaps. I've learned more about garment sewing than I ever thought possible. I missed my kid so much more than I can say.

The following are headed for kindergarten: Jo-Jo and the Diva. It doesn't seem possible, but they are leaving me. However, Baby Idgy (Jo-Jo's baby brother), isn't quite the baby anymore and turned 2 already. I started keeping Jo-Jo so Pickle could have a friend, and we could have a little extra breathing room financially. Jo-Jo and Idgy are about to welcome another addition to their family coming sometime eminently. I am excited to be caring for such a tiny one again! It's been at least six years! :) The Pickle starts first grade while Hollywood starts HIGH SCHOOL! She Who Must Be Obeyed is being cared for by her 15 year old sister now, so itll just be me, Idgy, and the baby to be nicknamed later.

That's probably the hardest part of being involved with kids: you certainly get attached. And I believe they do, too. It'll be hard letting them go, but I can't wait to see how they turn out.

Top Ten Reasons Why You Haven't Heard From Me

Every time I sit down for even one minute of me time...bam....I have to get up and see who is screaming; find out if there is blood; and then lose my seat at the computer. But I have missed you all, as you are there keeping me sane. Since Michael Jackson's death, there's been a lot going on. So I'll give you my top ten reasons why you haven't heard from me:

10. The Enter Button is messed up, AGAIN. So, when I push it down, it keeps going, and going, and ...you get the picture.

9. I've been completely mesmerized by the media frenzy associated with the death of the King of Pop. I don't know if it's that I got to watch old videos and reminisce or just hypnotized in the masses. Maybe it was the fact that the guy was all of 4 years older than me and it freaked me out! I even watched the memorial service and blown away that it was on the big 3 networks.

8. I keep falling asleep on the couch every night. With the onslaught of summer vacation, The Pickle has been given permission by his dad to stay up past his regular bedtime. That's all well and good for Hunnybunny, but I hang out with kids all day: it would be nice to know that EVENTUALLY I'll be an adult at least for part of the day.

7. I haven't felt I had anything profound to say. Lame, I know. But awfully true. Some of my old blogging buddies fell off the face of the earth because they felt like they had blogged their last. I didn't want to do that. Technically, blogging is a diary. Maybe I don't have anything profound to say to myself. It wouldn't be the first time.

6. I'm consumed with a wedding. My best friend's daughter is getting hitched in 5 weeks! Guess who's the DJ? Moi. Yes, it's been since 1993, but I think I can do it. The music for this shindig is a little...eclectic at best. Hope I can mix it well enough.

5. I've been kind of depressed. Mostly, because my family wasn't all together. Well, that excuse isn't going to hold water because I picked him up Saturday. A little early, maybe, but I think he missed me.

4. My schizophrenic sewing habits have gotten in the way, too. Okay, I'm most definitely a quilter. But, I've been exploring making my own clothes. Am I doing it to avoid quilting, or just simply need something to wear. Hey, I made pleats for the first time in my life this past weekend! Was I stoked! But I keep wasting time, going back and forth.

3. Exhaustion. Enough said there. I leave the house to go Nanny for Jo-Jo and Idgy at 8:00 am. Sometimes Pickle comes along. Most of the time the Diva shows up. It can be anywhere from 2 to 4 kids in a hurry. I leave around 4:30 or so, but then there's supper to make, or I collapse in a chair, or take out Fiona. See what I mean?

2. So many of my blogger friends have left. This really bothers me. I go to read their blog and read, "Blog not found". Then I worry. Say what you want, bloggers are a tight bunch. We pour our hearts out to readers, and we get into their lives via the Internet. I miss them when they leave. See reason 8.

But probably the biggest reason I haven't been a good blogger:

1. FACEBOOK! How addicting is it to find old college and high school friends and give them a synopsis of what we have been doing for the last 20 year? Or maybe one of those stupid quizzes that we can't seem to stop doing. While I enjoy FACEBOOK, I really love the blogging community more.

Rest in peace, Michael

And now a message from our sponsors.....

I am sure you are tired of reading the saga of Hollywood, how betrayed I feel... boo-hoo....I know I'm tired of it. So, I decided to switch gears and focus on positives going on. One such positive is an invention called a DVR. When it first came out, I didn't just hop on the band wagon. One, because of the expense, and two: I just don't go with the trends initially. The cost at the time was $100, shipping cost, and a renewed contract with Dish Network. I'm so cheap, I just couldn't see paying it. But Hunnybunny never gave up his dream. And finally, the price was right: free with a two year contract. We had our old receiver for 5 years upon moving here. So, the contract thing wasn't an issue.

In fact, two years ago, the receiver was struck by lighting, so it was as slow as Christmas. It's nice to push a button and actually GO to the station.
Now, I can download all the sappy, estrogen-laden, girly movies I want to and then play them back while working in my.....sewing room! I took all that pain and ick about Hollywood leaving and totally took his room over with all my quilting stuff. It's grand, I can spread out, watch TV, and sew right next to a window! He may come back, and I can put it all back on my side of the bedroom, but for now, I get to see how the other half lives...having a sewing room. I am currently working on this pattern and yes, I know it's a little much, but I wanted a project that made me learn some new stuff. Know what I mean?

Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

That smile you see is a smile of happiness. He's going to his first dance and Mom let him get his 80's tie. I watched the kids file out of the gym after the dance, and they were all wearing similar things.
Cyndi Lauper's 80's style has come back, but I'm not real sure why. That's what I saw all the young ladies wearing.






Here he is in his true element: playing the guitar. And not to brag, he's really good! He does practice allot and on this particular day was quite the front man. Interestingly enough, it wasn't his band. But he had a blast.

Rude People

My mother told me that my first words were not, "Mama" and "Daddy". They were "Yes, Ma'am". My mother did her best to teach us that it takes just as much time to be polite as to be rude. When I lived in Florida, everyone used the terms, "Yes, Sir,", "No, Sir" and it seemed like a great lesson in respect. During these times, even though most people don't make their kids, I make mine still say it. The Legal Adult can tell you even though his appearance is tatted and pierced, when he speaks, he still uses these forms of respect. Hollywood has to be reminded from time to time. If I've angered him, he's even tried to call me, "Beth" before, which I think is pretty funny. (Seriously, is that the best he can do?)

Today, I was reminded of why it's important to teach your children respect. I apparently got in the wrong lane to pick up the Pickle at his elementary school. A very angry mother got out of her SUV and walked across the street to where I was. She tapped on my window. I thought, "Is my radiator leaking?"

"If you're going to pick up your child, you're going to have to get in this line here because nobody is going to let you in. We have been waiting 20 minutes." For once, I think I was God-smacked. The human being inside of me wanted to say something just as rude back. But I didn't. I just put my window up. While I wasn't right in being in the "cheaters lane", it just seemed to me that she was going to make someone pay for her very bad day. In case you're still reading, I did move out of the way. Today was one of those times that I like my dog so much better than people.

Making Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds

Here we are so far. Now, imagine this double. That's how big the center is going to be. I'm thinking of adding a wide border, like maybe 7 inches, and machine applique The Beatles characters on it. In between the diamonds, you have to imagine fusible bias binding. That will give it a stained glass effect and reinforce the blocks.





The Legal Adult was gracious as he knows I'm only a month into this quilt. His birthday was yesterday...wow, 24! The cliche is, "But where did the time go?" and it's very trite. Some years went by fast, like when he was learning to walk and talk. Some years dragged on, as in adolescence. But after he turned 22, we really started to talk. I found that I not only LOVE this young man, I can say I LIKE him as well. He's always been a handful, but he's my handful. Here he is at 7 months, and I'm a mere child of 22. I have truly enjoyed being his mother as it has never been boring. Jesse(that's his real name)is a charmer and has been his whole life. Happy birthday, Son!

A Mother's Day Movie Review

I guess I'm mature enough to admit that I was around when the original Star Trek made it to television. I was three, and we watched it, although it was mostly over my head. I thought the transporter room was cool, and the whole idea of having a telecomunicator to talk to anybody was really out there. We do have cell phones now, so we're at least heading in that direction.

Hunnybunny and I went with The Diva's parents, our favorite movie-going buddies. With our babysitter out of town, we resorted to asking the Legal Adult and his Sweet thing (Thing 2) to babysit the Pickle and Diva. Hollywood wouldn't need babysitting, but leaving him to his own devices wouldn't have been wise. L.A. was going to show Hollywood how to cut grass, but that didn't happen. We left the makings for spaghetti and homemade cookies. The kitchen was a wreck when we got back. Happy Mother's day to me, right?

Hunnybunny was like a kid on a first date, calling me every 20 minutes to make sure I was going to be there on time (I picked up the Legal Adult and Thing 2) . When he called the last time, I answered with,
"The package has been acquired and is being delivered, Captain. We are in route to rendezvous
He didn't find it as amusing as I did.

Honestly, I didn't expect to enjoy this movie, thinking that they would trash the long-standing characters. But that's not what happened. The story was great and believable. And of course, the special effects were wonderful. We finally saw the backgrounds of the officers, and we do get to see glimpses of that. The joke that has made it around to all Star Trek fans was that if you were in a red shirt, you'd be the guy who was going to get pasted. J.J. Abrams didn't disappoint! And that's probably as much of a spoiler as I'm going to give. The bottom line is that if you get a chance to see it, go! Even if you aren't a long-time Star Trek fan, you will enjoy it.

Another Orphan Finds a Home

I'll admit it. I just can't stand to see an old machine thrown away. I've always looked at old sewing machines like a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, "All it needs is a little love." And that is most likely my undoing. Several weeks ago, I found myself at the Legal Adult's apartment. One of the Sweet Thing's had moved out, (Should I call them "Thing 1" and "Thing 2" to keep them straight?) and I noticed a sewing cabinet.
"Did she leave her sewing machine behind?"
"No, my friend thought I could use it as a nightstand since I don't have one." he replied. Upon inspection, I found it did contain a sewing machine!

A Singer 6235, made in 1985-1986.
There's no real special thing about this model, but it did intrigue me. The Singer 6235 is half-iron, half-plastic, all metal components and idiot-proof threading, and self-contained bobbin winder in the actual bobbin case. The foot pedal is one of those pneumatic ones that pumps air into the chamber. I know, y'all are bored. Somethings are made better in the past than they are in the present. At least that's how I'm justifying the cost of fixing this one up.


The foot pedal has an air bulb in it. It triggers a sensor that also has a bulb in it. After I paid for the new pedal, the cleaning, timing, and maintenance work, and then found out it needed a new sensor, it cost me around $130.
The stitches are perfect, and since I've got to come up with a crazy quilt for a wedding present by August, I thought I could use it.

Single Parenting at an end

And I for one am very grateful it is. I had forgotten just how much harder it is with one parent.

My Hunnybunny went to NAB,(National Association of Broadcasters show) in Vegas this past week. For anybody NOT in the media world, and that's most of the nice people that read this blog, the NAB is essentially the world's largest electronic media show. And for my Hunnybunny being in the video biz, it's like the Superbowl for him. Every new gadget that has been invented to bring you entertainment, news, etc. is featured at this show. Hunnybunny spent the week on his feet, showing stuff to clients and also, getting shown stuff by vendors. It was not without it's perks as the vendors want him to push their products, so he ate rather well. Sleeping, not so well as the time difference did catch up to him. He stayed at the Flamingo, one of the older hotels. The weird contrast was that you could go to a 'burlesque show' and see Donny and Marie all in the same place! He said that no one looks happy there, and it was interesting watching the night life. Apparently, the "ladies of the night" came in the casinos after work and spent most of their earnings. They call that 'low tide'. And no,he didn't gamble. But his comrades did, and lost. The second picture he took to show that he had a television in his BATHROOM. His very pink bathroom at that.
This week reminded me of seven years ago when I was a single parent with a toddler and a pre-teen. While the age difference is a little better, I promise you the drama was the same. Single parents have my heart for theirs is the toughest job ever.

WIP Wednesday: 24.....it's not just a tv show

It's the number my oldest son will reach on his birthday coming up in May. With "Stars Fell on Alabama" finally out of the way, I have been cutting fabric as fast as I can. No, I don't have a title yet, but I'm thinking it must be a Beatles song since there is so much Beatles fabric. And you know I try to name my quilts after song titles.

So, suggestions would be appreciated for a name. The Legal Adult is big into John Lennon. It's cut into harlequin diamonds, so "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" is a possibility. I'm planning on doing the stained glass effect and quilt the top of it in between the diamonds with black bric-a-brac.

The Stars Fell on Alabama quilt...FINISHED!!!

It took me a year of ups and downs to finish this quilt for Grandma Hunnybunny, but it's finally done! I really got hung up on the binding, if you remember. And so many of you came to my rescue with great ideas.
Debra had the best idea: sew it on by machine. While I had considered that, I had never done anything like that. I went on Threadbanger.com to see how to do a blind hem. Jackie mentioned how the blue popped against the white,(everything did, I think!) so I took a crack at invisible thread. That stuff was fine as frog hair, as my mama used to say.

I received lots of written advise as well.
It was greatly appreciated. I think I will try another shot at sewing it on by hand, but with a much smaller project.




I'm not sure if it's supposed to look this way, but it looks as close as I can get it.




Hunnybunny did the honors of holding it up while I got a few shots. I love the colors in this and hope she will, too!






Having put it in FedEx this weekend, I spent yesterday and today cutting out the next quilt. This is for the Legal Adult's 24th birthday. I bought the Beatles fabric way back when, and never could really get into using a panel for a medallion type quilt. He waits until I've bought the fabric to inform me he wants a queen-size! Gee, thanks, Son....
To the left is the rough draft placement of fabric. The pattern I'm using calls for some 4-square type diamonds in between.

But the colors and prints are so bold and busy that I decided on a harlequin type look. In between the diamonds, I'm going to attach some black rick rack to give it a stained-glass effect.

Here's the great label that Debra made for me. (I'm not beyond stealing a picture off of her blog. I don't think she'll mind!;) She did a great job, and I believe in the sentiment: "Finished is better than Perfect." Thanks to everyone for all their input and help! I'm sure I'll be asking again as I've not tried a quilt on this scale before. Just one month until his birthday, so I'll do my best not to be a strict perfectionist. But I make no promises.

Doggie Update and Movie Review

Here's our doggie, Fiona, playing with the Pickle. She got pretty big since Valentine's Day, didn't she? She's already up to 32 pounds and is about to be 5 months old. The Pickle is having a time catching her, as you can see.




Fiona has this cool marking on her chest. It looks like an outline of an Aztec cartoon or something. In fact, there are two "eye" dots on her fur that I accused Hollywood of putting on with a Sharpie!






Yes, I know. She's gonna be big. But she had to grow into those huge paws.



We decided to rent Marley and Me,
mostly because it was about a crazy Labrador. Or so I thought. It is actually the progression of a family who grows up with the dog. Now, there are allot of funny scenes! The book by John Grogan tells the tale of how the "worst dog in the world" got inside the hearts of a family. John Grogan is a reporter turned columnist and Marley helps him along with content for the paper. Of course, the dog has to get old and die. And, as usual, I cried at the end. Why, I'm not really sure, but it might have to do with Fiona being so young, and we're starting the same journey with a crazy dog. See it with your kids, but keep the tissues handy.

Spring Break: By the numbers

I had this great idea for Spring Break this year. "Let's save money and go camping!" Don't ever let anyone tell you how "cheap" it would be to go camping. They are totally misinformed. We went to Cumberland Falls State Park. The concept was grand: we would camp, save money, and enjoy family time together. Uh, yeah...that's in that perfect world where I'm still not a resident. We got to the site, (that we reserved online months ago) and there was no grass. Pure rocks, pebbles, and mud. Sigh...then there was the setting up of the tent. It went fairly flawless. The Pickle went wild with all the trees and mud to get into. The skies were cloudy with the forecast, of course, for rain. Picture a listless teenager with no electronics, whining because he couldn't take his flatiron. Don't ask.
Here is a list of our expenses on this so-called, "cheap" trip:
1. Large tent, bought on sale at a sporting goods shop, $130.00.
2. Sleeping bag, bought for me after the first night of sharing with my Hunnybunny. Sharing being figurative. $15.00.
3. Camp grill with cylinders- $26.00.
4. Fleece liner for top of inflatable bed, $10.00. (Temps dropped into the 30's at night!)

5. Camping reservation for 5 days-$69.00
6. Camping cookware- $30.oo.
7. Groceries, tolietries, paper products, etc. -$100.00
8. Boarding for Fiona, (Probably the best money I spent!) $80.00.
9. House sitting-$50.00









10. Tickets to the Louisville Zoo after we came back early from camping-$45.00
11. Eating at the Zoo-$26.00(There's The Pickle tormenting a peacock!)
12. Doctor's visit for the Pickle after we found ticks on him and one broke off in his skin! --undetermined yet.
Total as best I can figure it: $581!