"You say its your birthday...

well its my birthday too!"

So far, this birthday has been one of the silliest, and its not even over yet! its almost 6pm and I have a dinner at 7 and a "something" at 11pm. On the silly front I have received a total of 11,000 baci (so far), been bombarded with some very silly ecards each one sillier than the previous, and there seems to be a competition of sorts- Naples, IT vs Lauderdale, MN, Naples is ahead by 1, Braintree, UK behind by 3 and 2 respectively (and not so silly either, LOL! I have to be careful as one of the cards said something about kidnapping me.)

No sign of the sailor, maybe because the ports are frozen ;-)

Okay, I off into the snowy night...

Laurie made this comment,
Happy, happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
comment added :: {ts '2005-11-28 21:31:10'} GMT-06


Susan made this comment,
Thanks Laurie!!!

Meme of Four

I found this over at www.geoffarnold.com who found it at 10,000 Monkeys and a Camera:


Four jobs you’ve had in your life: head hunter(executive recruiter), Emergency Medical Technician, V. P, Marketing,

Four movies you could watch over and over: The Lion in Winter; Children of Paradise; Dangerous Beauty; A Man for All Seasons/Princess Bride
Four places you’ve lived: Chicago; Boston; Pittsburgh; Twin Cities of Minnesota
Four TV shows you love(d) to watch: Due South; Chef; Monty Python; Masterpiece Theater/Mystery
Four places you’ve been on vacation:  Epcot Center; Cape Breton, Nova Scotia; Berlin; Edinburgh for the Festival (mainly the fringe)
Four websites you visit daily: usually the BBC; Fashion-incubator- a pattern makers blog, Lit, patternreview.com
Four of your favorite foods: chocolate, clementines, shrimp, dim sum
Four places you’d rather be: traveling, asleep, with my friends, with my family
 Your turn….

Hmm thought I published this back in December, I guess I didn't ;-)

Getting into winter-first part written November 30

oh its gorgeous out!  The snow, light and fluffy, brushes off the car with no scrapping, decent traction to walk in.  Its not too cold, about 15 above, the air is crisp and fresh.  The trees limbs outline with a line of snow. 
Its funny but yesterday I was freezing and it was warmer!!!  Last night I couldn't get warm, took a shower to warm up, wore my floor length terry robe for a while but then when it was time to sleep in my summer night shirt or one of my large holey t-shirts, I was cold again!  The night before I slept nude because everything was in the wash, but my arms were cold.

I wore out my granny gowns over the past few years, one I kept going with patches and additional lace, but when I finally put my foot through it I knew it was gone!   I was going to make another one but I haven't yet.  I got a beautiful green double faced flannel that I have been staring at wondering  what to make.  I'd like to make a big heirloom gown that buttons down the front with smocking, lace and ribbons like a lanz gown but better, very subtle of course, because I am not into that romantic antebellum thing.  So last night I looked at the fabric and decided I was too lazy right now and besides I wanted to be warm NOW! 

Then I remembered some 100% blue cotton knit I had gotten for a summer nightshirt in May.  I had even cut it out but decided it would be too warm. I dug it out and decided I was too lazy to do the original bias bound neckline.  So I dug out some blue lingerie lace which didn't feel too scratchy. So at about 11:15pm I began to sew it up.  First, I stablized the shoulders using tailoring tape (lazy), then measured and placed the lace.  The lace was really do wide for the v-neck but I used it anyhow, the v is a bit more revealing than I intended but ....   So anyway I sewed it up,  I was too lazy to thread up my cover stitch machine so I didn't bother with the hem or sleeves hems.  This was a high tech, down and dirty. A friend said you just whipped it up?  I said sure, anyone can with the right tools and materials.
Fabric- 100% cotton knit interlock
Tools:
cutting table, rotary cutter and mat/press board
steam iron
fusible tailoring stabilizer
very fine silk pins
chalk
thread- 3 cones serger, one spool 50 wt cotton for sewing machine
sewing machine
serger
tailors points
applique scissor for trimming lace
temporary adhesive spray
optional LOL! to finish the hems- cover stitch machine

I have some more cotton knit in Red and peach, maybe I will make a few more.  Might use heirloom lace next time and see how that feels.

Finished night shirt. I slept in it last night and it was so warm and toasty I didn't want to take it off this morning.

Here's a picture of it.

This is written today.

The first night in it was great but the second was more like the princess in the pea, the lace occasionally brushing my skin drove me nuts, and like the girl who ripped the bed curtains down from the ceiling one night because they bothered her, I kept pulling on the lace until I eventually took off the nightshirt.  The next morning instead of being found asleep among curtains, rods and bits of plaster, I just found the nightshirt on the floor with a few rips in the lace. 

I patched the lace but didn't find a solution until just now. I backed the lace with too layers of matching illusion, not as cool looking but more sensible.  To liven it up a bit I top stitched the edge of the lace with matching Haloshimmer, a Mylar holograph thread, it might be a little much, I will see how it goes.  I suppose I should finish the cuffs and the hem ;-)  I suppose I should take some update pics...

Fabric: 100% nylon stretch tricot illusion
Tools:
serger
sewing machine
thread- 3 cones serger, one spool 50 wt cotton and holograph for sewing machine
microserrated scissors
wonder tape

The next one will have cotton heirloom lace or nothing!

A total daredevil, you're the reindeer with an edge!

You Are Comet

A total daredevil, you're the reindeer with an edge! Why You're Naughty: You almost gave Santa a heart attack when you took him sky diving Why You're Nice: You always make sure the sleigh is going warp speed

Which of Santa's Reindeer Are You?

taken from Geoff's Blog

walking barefoot!!!!!

I walked barefoot last night no problem, after 5 years!
My left foot worked just like my right foot, can running and climbing be far behind?

I have no idea what happened, I just put my foot down and it felt different so I tried it and wow!

maybe there is hope for my neck?

Okay, I realize this is no big deal to most people, but it is to me!

Background-About 5 yrs ago I badly broke my leg and tore the muscles in my foot. I have been as my current ortho says "PTed to death." I was in a wheelchair for a few months then on crutches (and night traction :-( ) for several years, followed by using a hiking stick to help push off. This was the 3rd time I have relearned to walk since 1990.

Now I walk perfectly most of the time, but I can't run, not even across a street, or climb, don't have enough dorsi flexion yet... Sometimes I have go down stairs sideways, but its so much better than the "semi controlled fall" of a few years ago.
Until recently could only walk barefoot after warming up for quite a while and it was still limited. I work on my leg every day, and I try to walk barefoot too, usually it doesn't work that well, last night was different.

I am very excited about this!!!!



Laurie made this comment,
Congratulations!!
comment added :: {ts '2005-12-23 10:52:52'} GMT-06

Foundations

I have never knowingly abandoned anyone, never walked away without explanation.  

If I tell someone something, give my word then I try my hardest to keep it, and live up to it.  If I find I can't do it, I take the time to explain, listen to those I have let down, apologize and make whatever amends I can.

I do not turn my back on friends when they are hurt or in trouble, or belittle and/or negate their concerns.  I try to help whenever and wherever I can.  If I hurt someone or cause a misunderstanding I try to understand what happen and find ways to prevent it in the future. If there is a problem in a relationship I try to find a solution with the other person that we both can live with.

This is how I live my entire life, personal and professional.  I make no distinctions between them in that manner.


Laurie made this comment,
Good philosophy.

Insanity diary

work and child labor laws.

I have decided to start keeping an insanity diary at work for my sanity.  I am working on the winter class schedule, website, some tax stuff, insurance audits, sales tax and end of year payroll tax issues for which it would be nice if I left alone to do it.

today's items are:
child labor laws
the cabinet
the bobbin case
the number

child labor laws- every so often we have this discussion of why we can't hire the "owner's" girlfriend's 10yr old grandson.  During one of the early discussion I was asked by the GF why I "have to be so negative about everything?"  To which I replied that I only object to things that would be unethical, illegal or unsafe.   My priority is, as it always has been, the future of the business.
Today the GF informed me that it wouldn't be illegal, he just couldn't work certain hours, with the owner nodding! In response I took the labor poster that these people walk past everyday on the way to the bathroom or kitchen! off the wall, took a pink highlighter and highlighted the minimum age which is 14!
Showed it to the owner, who appears to have read it, and then his GF.  She read it and then said "I understand what YOU are saying"  What I am saying????  This is state and federal law!

the cabinet-I am back in the office working on books, the GF is showing a customer a cabinet.  She asks the owner who makes the cabinet, he isn't sure.  She has the cabinet book but she can't find it. They call me, I come out, look at the cabinet, notice it is for a flat bed machine (ie pre 1960's!!!) so unless this customer has such a machine, it doesn't really matter who makes it. Its an easy thing to notice, there is a square cut out with 2 hinges to go into the back of the machine.  I point out that its for a flatbed, to which everyone goes "oh that won't work" and I retreat to the office.

the bobbin case- a customer comes in with a sewing machine needing a bobbin case. He needs a class 15 case, the most common case for inexpensive machines.  If you get an oscillating machine with a bobbin case, almost any machine under $400, chances are fairly good that it is a class 15 case. So the owners asks his gf to look in the drawer of cases, but she can't find the drawer. Its in a rack of drawers directly behind the register, he finally finds it and there is not one in it, so he decides we don't have one and need to order one this very minute.  Some day I will do an entire post on ordering. 
At that point, after hearing loud words about "bobbin cases" and "ordering" I come out, find out what they need, go back to the bench and grab a bunch of class 15 bobbin cases, give one to the owner for the customer and restock the drawer.  We only have some in the drawer upfront for people who lose theirs, normally we replace them as part of a service so they are in the back in the same place they have been for years. The owner should know this, as should his gf, esp since both of them have gotten the cases from the box in the past couple weeks!
Sometimes I feel like a figure in one of those mechanical clocks, I come out, do something obvious and then go back inside the office.

The number- This has to a bit do with ordering which I should really explain in a completely separate post but anyway.  We are supposedly ordering some cabinets and then going to the bank.  The owner has the list of cabinets and manufacturers in front of him.  He picks up the phone calls somewhere and says "yes I will hold."  he then asks his GF "what do we need?" 
 "the cabinets on the sheet!!!" 
"no what do we need for notions"
"it depends, who are you calling?" 
he names a local distributor of notions!
" we need those cabinets"
" but I am talking to these guys"
he asks me through my window
"what do we need?" 
I remind him that we aren't supposed to order from them unless we want it shipped, we just go to their warehouse and pick what we need, its faster and cheaper.  He says
"well, um, I want to ask them something different" 
The GF and I both give him "the look"  He hangs up the phone and goes off to work on a machine, not having ordered any cabinets or gone to the bank.
Realizing that this could go on all day, or even the rest of the week, I offer to order the cabinets, he decides no, he will do it, and finally does it.  After much weirdness I end up going to one bank and he to the other.  When we both get back, I ask what he needed from the local distributor. He wanted the phone number of the scissors company because we receive a bad scissors.  Now we bought this scissors through yet another company, but that is another matter.  So I tell him we could look it up online, but he could just look in the box that comes with the scissors. 
The scissors display with lots of boxes with numbers on them is about 3 feet from his chair.  He looks at the box, calls them but since by then it is 3:39 cst and they on est, they are closed.  So I imagine it will start all over again another day...

I have been working at home today...  I will go in soon though.


Laurie made this comment,
Great post! I feel like I was at work with you. I need to lay down.