Marvelous Monday Update 9/28/09

Before I start this week's MM post, a couple of thank you's are in order. First, thanks for all the wonderful comments regarding my niece and the photos I've taken of her. She's got stunning beauty even though she doesn't think so. Secondly, thank you for all the awesome comments about the question I posed in the last post. I was overwhelmed at the number of comments!

And now... on with the show!

WEATHER
Boy, has the fall weather set in. A good part of last week was cold, dreary, and rainy. Sunday was one of the few nicer days left for this year. Mid 70 temps, sunny and nice breeze. My type of weather! This morning, I woke up to 30mph winds and blustery cold. Brr! Unfortunately, the winds toppled the trellis I made for my climbing beans in the garden. :( It also knocked over a couple of my potted plants.


GROUNDHOG DAY?
Remember in the movie where Bill Murray woke up at the same time every day and the day repeated itself? I'm starting to feel that way in that every morning I keep waking up between 3:30 and 3:45am... every day for the past week or so! Most of the time I go right back to sleep, but it's starting to get really annoying. Not to mention I'm not getting good rest!


OOPS!
There were yet more things in my grab bag that I forgot to show last week... Check this out:

28ct Cashel Linen • Antique Almond
Dinky Dyes Cotton Floss • Mint, Hawthorne, & Bush Baby
Pure Palette Floss • Sunflower Petals (great name!)
DMC #5 Pearle Cotton #211
GAST Floss • Cheesecake, Shell, & Sunburst

NOT SO NEW RESIDENT
For the past month or so, this BIG guy has taken up residence outside my bedroom window. He is H-U-G-E! I don't know what kind of spider it is, but I'm definitely not used to seeing anything larger than a Daddy Long Legs.



OTHER STITCHY NEWS
If you haven't taken a look at my stash-for-sale blog in a while, I've recently added a lot more charts, magazines, and kits. I'm slowly working my way through the big box of "stuff" I keep adding to that sits in my 4-season room.

I did some stitching this week! I'm *this* close to finishing another "quilt square" on TMQ. I'd say, I have about 10 more stitches. Since I am so close to finishing the current motif, I didn't take a photo. Stay tuned... coming soon!

Twice a year, the local domestic violence organization hosts a used book sale... the proceeds go toward helping battered/abused women. This year, they have opened an actual bookstore. I went and took a look around. Hundreds and hundreds of books -- even a craft/hobby section! There was a bin of cross stitch charts and magazines (mostly magazines). After I took a look at the other books and such, I sat on a stool and went through all the cross stitch stuff!

All for less than $1!

Did You Know?

... that in addition to my cross stitch addiction (Yes, I'm seeking help. *not*), I also collect porcelain dolls? Half the closet in my spare room is packed with my porcelain doll (and Barbie) collection.

While perusing at the local SA thrift store today, I came across porcelain dolls which are part of a Fairy Tale series. These photos definitely don't do them justice!

Cinderella/Wash Girl -and- Rapunzel
Goldilocks -and- Little Red Riding Hood

The details on these dolls are absolutely stunning!

Eyelashes and Jewelry
Basket with breadcloth and bread
Little sewn bears

Trip Down Memory Lane

It's strange how thoughts pop into your head years after the fact, and how they seem to linger there. I have been stitching off and on for over 25 years. Toward the end of my marriage (over 10 years ago), my exDH made lots of negative comments regarding my stitching. So much so that I stopped stitching for over 5 years. When I started up again, it was with much gusto and the online stitching community opened up a whole new world to me.

My question to you all:

How would you feel or react if your DH or significant other expressed that your hobby/stitching was a "waste of time" or that they "didn't see the purpose in it"?

Where Are They Now?

The Cartoon Edition...

Barbie at 50
Tweety at 60
Batman and Robin
Spiderman
Superman
Thor
Wonder Woman

More Senior Moments

Earlier this week, I showed some of the outdoor senior photos I did for my niece. I also did some indoor ones a few days later:


During the time I was photographing my niece, my brother was "working on" my 1950's chime style doorbell. It was on You Tube, he figured out how the doorbell worked and then proceeded to fix it. Can you tell I come from a family of do-it-yourselfers? lol To know my brother, you'd find that he has a goof-ball, quirky sense of humor.

He took a second to get into the act!
Once the official photo session was over, I caught a couple of impromtu moments:

Couldn't help but laugh!
Relaxing... Smiling is tough!
Spinning around on the stool
was just too much temptation...

A Woman's Work...

... is never done.

On my day off work, my plan was to get laundry done (including bedding), and clean my kitchen. Early morning, I stripped the bed and threw it in the washer. About an hour and half later, I wandered to the basement to find this:


A tub full of water and unwashed linens. What the....? Twist the knob to empty. Nothing. Twist it to spin. Nothing. Twist it to rinse. Again nothing.

*ACK!* Visions of toting laundry to the laundromat danced through my head. The "Crack Kills" view of the repairman's behind played like a movie in my mind. I pictured myself going into cardiac arrest over the repair bill, and the potential realization it might be cheaper to buy a new washer instead of having this one fixed. Yes, my mind went through various scenarios!

Then I came back to reality. I let my fingers do the walking to You Tube. Yes, You Tube! Incidentally, I would've never thought about this if it weren't for my brother. He fixed my doorbell chime by looking on You Tube. But I digress...

On YT, I did a search on washer repair. Amazing how many videos there are! After watching a couple, I *thought* I figured out what the problem was. I took my laptop to the basement with me and I set to work using one of the videos. Brave soul, aren't I? lol I told myself: How much damage could I do? It looks easy enough!

Had to open up the washer...
almost like surgery, don'tcha think?
Kinda scary!
I had to "rewind" the video many times to get the washer torn apart in order to get the offending piece out of it. So what was wrong? According to my internet research, a common problem is a broken lid switch. A quick trip to the local Sears store (my washer is Kenmore) revealed a 3-10 day wait for a part. *ack* No, I need it NOW! I also figured it could get it much faster by ordering online myself. After getting home, I had three plans of action. (Yes, 3!)

First, I noticed that the plastic casing around the switch had come unglued. Why couldn't I superglue it back together? It could work, right? Right!

The "suspect" switch
I figured it was worth a try, so I put some superglue where I saw the old glue gave way. It was a tight squeeze, but with the help of a handy dandy toothpick I was able to get some down in there. Add a quick clamp from the set I bought a couple weeks ago and viola!

If the switch still didn't work after gluing, Plan B was in order: A pair of wire cutters and I would be doing some serious surgery resulting in bypassing the switch. Clip, clip of the black wires, twist the two together, and wrap with electrical tape. Viola, the washer could work with the lid open (not that I've ever left the lid open), or closed.

Plan C involved finding a replacement switch online. Last resort.

Turns out that Plan A worked!! Incidentally, if you look at the video comments, wiitard1210 had the same problem. :) Nice to know I'm not alone. My Dad thinks that the plastic part has points inside that weren't making contact when the old glue came undone. (He came over to help after I had everything apart) After testing the switch to make sure it worked, I put the washer back together under the "supervision" of my Dad.

It Works!!!

Marvelous Monday Update 9/21/09 - Part One

EXTREME UPDATE
The "big reveal" occurred last Tuesday. Personally, I'm not impressed (architecturally) with what the outside of the house looks like. Of course, we won't get to see what the inside looks like until the show airs... sometime in December (according to my Dad). Meantime, here's some pics to wet your taste buds:


House - a work in progress
Volunteers who did the siding enjoy a
jump into the pond built in front of the home.*
Move That Bus!*
Front of House*
The Driveway*
Another Front View of House*
Aerial View*
*©2009 Journal Standard

Marvelous Monday Update 9/21/09 - Part Two

I've always said it's a bit abnormal for a gal to spend an inordinate amount of time at the home improvement stores. Fortunately or unfortunately (whichever way you want to go), I'm one of those gals! Some women love shopping for shoes, other like purses, and still others love shopping for clothes (ahem, Mom). I love home improvement stores (even if I'm not buying anything!). So why am I rambling on and on???

Menards had some good sales... of which I had to partake! I know, I know... I have a couple of projects in the works already. I just added a few more. Water pipe insulation was almost half off. Bought some. Water Heater Blankets were on sale. Got one. Then in the clearance section was Armstrong tile. Been wanting to put new tile in the bathroom. Bought a box. Hopefully one box will do it, even if I do screw up a few pieces. Here's what the tile looks like:

Bayboro Driftwood Blue

As if that weren't enough... flower bulbs were on sale. So I bought 42 tulip bulbs in pink and purple. I can't take the blame for buying the flower bulb auger that works with power drill (MORE POWER!). The "old guy" helpful employee recounted a story of how he and his wife planted 200 bulbs in 30 minutes with an auger. So you see... I HAD to get one.

Marvelous Monday Update 9/21/09 - Part Three

NIGHT AT THE THEATRE
On Saturday night, I saw a play called "Escanba in Love", written by Jeff Daniels. The small community theatre was *really* hot and stuffy. Apparently someone turned on the heat instead of the air, LOL.

The setting was Soady deer camp in the midst of World War II (40 years prior to Escanaba in da Moonlight). This is where we meet the love of young Albert Soady Jr.’s life (who has a "past") and a whole cast of madcap Yoopers. Albert wins Big Betty Balloo in a barroom kissing contest, weds her on the spot, and brings her to deer camp for their honeymoon. She is the first woman ever to set foot in the Soady deer camp, and Albert's father and grandfather are not happy! The men meet their biggest challenge to date, their first female visitor, Big Betty Ballou. To become a "real" Soady, the men put her to "tests" which create a lot of folly, hilarious dialogue and events.

Needless to say, it was quite entertaining!


TWO ALREADY???
It was 2 years ago last Sunday, that I nervously waiting to hear the news on whether my offer on the homestead would be accepted. Then came the sick-to-my-stomach feeling as I drove to the closing. It was a big leap for this single girl to purchase a home on her own! After that moving and unpacking. Soon The Homestead Chronicles was born. Now here it is two years later! (Embarassed to say that I *still* have boxes that aren't unpacked. Pics of The Homestead can be seen HERE.


ANOTHER SENIOR MOMENT!
It seems like it was only yesterday that I received the call from my oldest brother that his first baby girl was born.


My sister was a bit peturbed at my SIL because she was up walking around right after the baby was born (lol). My sister, who gave birth only months before, had about two weeks recovery before she felt "good". I digress...

My brother asked me to take my niece's senior pics. Hard to believe she's a senior in high school already! What a beautiful young woman she grew up to be. These are some of my favorites: