Marvelous Monday Update 11/30/09

Hard to believe it's the end of November already!


THANKSGIVING
I hope those in the US had a great Thanksgiving feast. I celebrated the holiday with my family on the 21st. As usual, Mom outdid herself with all the food she prepares. I know I've said this several times, but I'm gonna say it again. Gotta LOVE being from a bi-cultural family!! In addition to the traditional turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes/gravy, we also had fresh Cranberry sauce (Thanks, Dad!), sweet potatoes (made by yours truly), veggie/cheese tray, spiral ham, deviled eggs, egg rolls, breaded shrimp, sushi, and udon. Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without two different pies and ice cream, along with dirt dessert my Bro and SIL brought. There was a LOT of food leftover. My parents always send the leftovers home with us kids. :)

I do have a story to share from my Thanksgiving. My bro and I were talking about the deer I hit and he asked me if I took it home. Then said roadkill is good stuff. LOL! During this conversation, our mother was in the kitchen preparing the meal (we were in the dining room). Now if you think your mother is not paying attention... she IS! Mom turns to us and asks "What's roadkill?" My brother took this opportunity to go into graphic detail about what roadkill is... AND tells my mom that I've been picking up roadkill for food! Mom was thoroughly disgusted, and my bro went on and on, while I laughed at them both. Thinking he was serious, Mom turned to me and told me in a stern Japanese-accented voice (all 4ft 10in of her) that I DID NOT need to be picking that stuff up off the side of the road... that if I was hungry I need to come HOME to eat. It was sooooo funny!


CAR
Even though the shop was technically closed the day after Thanksgiving, the owner and a few of the mechanics were going to be there for a couple hours doing some cleaning. I was able to pick of my car. Good as new!

BEFOREAFTER

STITCHY STUFF
The humbug I did for Tiny Treasures Exchange Too blog has finally arrived at its destination. Mare was the lucky recipient of my first Humbug along with various other goodies. I'm really happy she likes it. The little sucker thing was difficult to photograph!

Design: Autumn Leaves
Designer: New Berlin Co.
Fabric: 32ct White Evenweave
Fibers: DMC



Sherry of Inhale Life sponsored a giveaway on her blog a couple weeks ago. I was the lucky recipient of a Little House Needleworks chart called "Snowflakes". Thank you, Sherry!







RAK'd
I received a great RAK of GAST threads from Sue. She was so generous! Thank you, Sue.



GIVEAWAY
Mare (Mare's Runway Needle) is hosting a giveaway. Visit her blog for more details.


BLACK FRIDAY
I wasn't one of the adventurous people who wandered out at the wee hours of the morning to try to snag up the "deals". I really didn't see deals I absolutely had to have. After I picked up my car, I decided to stop at the home improvement store to see what they had for "doorbuster" sales. At 9am, the crowds really weren't that bad. I picked up a few things, and got braver. I went to a 2nd store. Again, the crowds weren't too bad. I picked up another gift. Now confident and braver still, I went to the 3rd store. O-M-G! The crowds there were ridiculous right up to the end of the doorbuster sale. "Dictator" clerks were directing traffic to the checkout lanes. The only way to get through the entrance to the kingdom was to stand in a line that went all the way to the back of the store. *Whew*

One of the doorbuster sales was a doggie bed for $4.99. Isn't it the cutest?

Celeste's old "bed" is actually a cat bed that I bought when she was a puppy. It was perfect when she was really tiny. Now she's practically outgrown it. Celste is not one to embrace change right away. She has to get used to things... no different with the new bed. When I wasn't looking, she made herself at home. I think she likes her new bed!



HOMESTEAD CHRONICLES
Since my comforter is getting threadbare and has a non-removeable black stain (from a moving box I set on my bed), I brought home a new comforter set that was a doorbuster deal. (A "consolation prize" for not buying a 27" flat screen TV for my bedroom.)

I love the colors.

Due to having to remove the mattress in order to put the new bedskirt on the box spring, I decided it was a perfect time to clean the dust bunnies under the bed. How do they multiply so FAST?!? After getting the bed "put together", I hung my framed art that's been propped up against the wall since I moved into The Homestead.

Marvelous Monday Update 11/23/09

STITCHY STUFF
I've gotten a couple of exchanges out of the way.

For Tiny Treasures Exchange Too, I participated in the Humbug Exchange. It's the first time I've ever done one, so hopefully my partner liked it.


I also got the CSE Advent Exchange wrapped, boxed up, and mailed out.


Lastly, I did get some stitching done this week. No pics, though, since it's for a private ornament exchange. Don't want to ruin the surprise
;-)


CAR
The adjuster came. The adjuster looked. The ajuster went. The damage? $2500+! Yikes. No one has opened the hood yet, so not really sure what damage was done on the inside. Didn't want to take the chance of not being able to get it shut again! The insurance company has assured me they'll cover the cost if there's more damage.

I had two people recommend an auto body shop out of town, so that's where my ride went. The owner/manager of the shop commented that my adjuster was a good one, so it set my mind at ease. He also informed me that GM has a price match for GM parts (instead of using after market parts). Just a little FYI if any of you have GM vehicles. :)

Unbeknownst to me prior to the accident, I have rental car coverage on my policy! What a lifesaver that's turned out to be. Now I don't have to worry about coming up with a car for five days. :) The car rental place gave me a '09 Chevy HHR. It's taken me a bit getting used to it - can't say that I'd ever buy one of these. (Even though my car is old-old-older, I'm spoiled with it, and still *love* it after all these years.)

Side Note:
Tongue in cheek... Hitting the deer *really* isn't turning out so bad. ;-) I had a couple of "paint rubs" on the driver's front side from when I lived in my apartment. The garage door was -barely- large enough to pull my car in and out (approximately 3" on each side) and well, you know. My car scraped against it sometimes. That's the story I'm sticking to! With the deer repairs, by default those will be taken care of, too.


GIVEAWAY
Angela of Hooked on Stitches is sponsoring a nice giveaway on her blog. Check it out if you're interested.

Marvelous Monday 11/16/09

STITCHY STUFF
I received word that Robin and Debbie Jo have received their PIF's. Mel should be receiving hers soon.

I'm close to sending out the Advent package for the CSE group. Just a few more things to buy and wrap up. I hope my partner likes what I picked out.

I've got my Humbug package ready also. I just need to get the box taped up and put into the mail.

I haven't stitched in several weeks. Just been too bummed about everything that's been going on. I'm hoping that'll change soon!


YUM-YUMS
Last week, I decided to make an easy homemade chicken pot pie. I don't know what I was thinking, but I ended up with so much filling that I had to make two pies! So, I ate it for two days and put the rest in serving size containers for the freezer. Perfect for those times I work out of town, or when I don't feel like cooking.



BAMBI MEETS THE GTP
As disgusting as it is, Bambi "pooped" on my car when he was flipped back the way he came after I hit him. I also have a souvenir of Bambi's fur stuck where the headlight used to be.



GIVEAWAY WINNER
Yes, that's me! Marjorie, The Pumpkin Patch Stitcher, was hosting a giveaway to celebrate her DD's and Mom's birthdays.

I was the lucky recipient of The 1824 Penny Rug Sampler by The Good Huswife, 14x18" 28ct linen, the DMC floss to stitch it up, a packet of Candy Cane Dreams cocoa (Oooh, doesn't it sound yummy?), Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark, a patchwork reindeer memo pad with pen, a Mary Engelbreit Christmas bookmark, and *the cutest ever* Christmas ornament. Thank you Marjorie! Thank you, thank you... It really MADE my day.




CONTEST WINNER
Lisa of the SNS2 group held a little contest where we were to guess how many dogs she had. I guessed 6 and she has 5. As a prize, she sent me Heart in Hand's Monthly Mania January. What's funny (to me) is that my birthday is January! Thank you, Lisa!

They Say Things Come in Three's

As if my life hasn't been stressful enough, one more thing has been added to top the cake. Yikes, I feel like such a downer :(

I owe a bunch of you email responses. As you know, I have just not felt up to par emotionally, but I will try to respond back to those who've taken the time to make sure I'm OK.

What's been happening?

WHOPPER NUMBER ONE:

The relationship with JT started going askew at the end of month two. For the next four months, I hoped things would be OK. As time went on, it became apparent he portrayed himself as someone he wasn't. As a male friend puts it "You can't argue with crazy." Crazy referring to JT's actions and statements he's made.


WHOPPER NUMBER TWO:

I had my review a couple weeks ago. The review itself was fine, however my employer informed me that due to lack of work they are cutting my hours to 32/wk (from 40) which equates to a 20% pay cut, starting Feb 1st. The way it sounds, they don't expect the workload to pick up, nor are they seeking it out in our area (My firm has 5 offices). So, that has left me wondering if I can survive on the paycut or if I should look for another job.

In addition, I've done a search online and all the jobs in my pay range require a Bachelors degree which I haven't gotten yet. I didn't want to have to go into debt to finish my degree, but it appears I'll have to.


WHOPPER NUMBER THREE:

Last Friday (Yes, Friday the 13th!), I was on my way home from working in one of the other offices. BLAM! Out of the cornfield came a deer. Yep... I hit the thing and it flung back the way it came. Bambi was done for. The front end of my car has been obliterated and the hood it quite crinkled. :( Thank goodness I didn't cancel the collision portion of my auto insurance like I'd been contemplating a couple weeks ago. Also thankful the car is still driveable. Now comes the repairs... Fun stuff (not).


I know... I know... there are people out there who have it MUCH worse than I do. As the title states, people say things come in three's and I'm hoping this is the end of it. I'm not used to so many stressful things happening at the same time...

Marvelous Monday Update 11/9/09

ABSENCE
The past two weeks have left me emotionally exhausted, and I’ve been trying to think clearly and put together a plan of action. To those of you who have emailed me personally, and taken time to talk to me on the phone – I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It’s nice to know that you care what happens to me and I really appreciate your friendships. Big ((hugs)) to you.


PIFs
Heads up, lucky PIF recipients! Robin and Debbie Jo, your packages are going out in today’s mail. Mel, yours will be going out soon. Sharmila and Mary, I'm still working on putting yours together. Most of these ladies have done their part and posted the PIF on their blogs. If you'd like a chance at PIF'ing, check out their sites. :) (PIF'ing is fun, I tell you!)


LITERACY TUTORING
Last year, I went through 14 hours of mandatory training to become a Literacy Tutor. Then due to cuts in state funding, summer sessions were discontinued. By the end of summer, the Adult Ed department received word that funding would continue (even though they haven’t received payment yet), but even with funding some parts of the program have been suspended... such as student transportation. A couple months ago, I got a call asking if I’d be willing to come back as a volunteer tutor. This time, I chose to be an ESL (English as a Second Language) tutor. I have two regular students – a young woman from Columbia and an older gentleman from Laos. Intermittently, I have students from Mexico. I have to say it’s very rewarding to see the look on the students’ faces when the “lightbulb” goes off in their head.


STITCHY STUFF
I haven’t done much stitching over the past two weeks. Actually, I have but I decided to scrap my original idea and start over. What am I talking about? I’m participating in a Humbug exchange (my first one). I started stitching some roses, but the thing was HUGE and I kept having problems with frogging – two reasons for scrapping it. Instead I decided on a different them that is much smaller. I’m not sure if I’m always up for trying new finishes, but I don’t know if I’ll do a Humbug again. (LOL, I said that about biscornus, too.) I finished the Humbug this past weekend. Sorry, no pics as it’s a “secret” exchange.


WEATHER
We had absolutely gorgeous weather for the past 3-4 days. Temps in the 70’s… unusual for this time of year. I opened my windows to let in the fresh air. I took advantage of it by finishing up my fall yard work – pulling dead stuff out of planters and putting the planters away for the year, pulling dead stuff out of the flower beds. I also hung laundry out on the line to dry. Mmmm... love the smell of that!


GIVEAWAYS
Incidentally, Robin is celebrating her 3 years of blogging bliss! She's hosting a giveaway. So, if you're interested click on over to HERE.



Nina of Between Crosses with Nina is hosting a Christmas giveaway on her blog until November 30th. Some beautiful stuff there!




EXTREME HOME MAKEOVER
A while back, we had an EHM in my county. I found out that the show is airing this Sunday, November 15th. Photos of the house can be seen HERE.


CONCERN
Several months ago, I received a personal email from someone regarding a situation I posted on my blog. I responded back and left it open in that if this person needed my support, to contact me. Last week, a comment was left on my blog (which I have not published) which has caused me to be concerned. I no longer have your email address, so if you could PLEASE email me – do so. I have been very worried about you.