Lat week we had to have a plumbing re-route as we had a leak in the slab. Ever since we've had no hot water to the washing machine. Luckily he came back today and has managed to cut not one but two additional holes in the wall! These two will be added to the 3 others that that needed to be cut last week! I'm just glad that I'm not the one that needs to fix them all.

Sewing?

I've been busy. I've been creative. I've just not been sewing. I have the "make my front yard look more like fine people who care live inside rather than ragamuffins" syndrome! I am trying to take an uninspiring, overgrown space.............. and turn it into something beautiful. Seeing as how most of my front yard is weeds, this is not an easy undertaking! We had a raised bed built and I've been filling it with bushes and flowers. Now add to all of that fun that it has been blazing hot with whipping winds....well, I'm tired at the end of the day. I will post an "after" photo soon.

I did make zipper purses for my girls. I followed the directions from a taped Sewing with Nancy tv show. There was only one problem. Her samples we inconsistent. One had the zipper starting in one direction and the other in the opposite direction. If you followed the wrong set of directions you ended up with a purse that opened from the bottom. Guess which one I chose to follow on the first bag?! Plus I must have used thin ribbon or something because mine came out bumpy and lumpy instead of smooth like the one in the youtube video. I was so in love with my finished products that I didn't even bother to take a picture!!

School is out in a few short workdays and I will be able to sew and create to my hearts desire. By then it will be too unbearably hot to work in the yard and I'll be snuggled inside with the air conditioner for the summer!

Shot glass vs. garbage disposal

Grinding up a shot glass in the garbage disposal..................stupid!

Having a garbage disposal rusting away and needing replaced......already known.

Creating large holes with the shot glass.....................incredible.

Spending money that wasn't expected.......expensive.

Being all ready to make horseradish and Passover bagels but can't.................annoying.

Needing to wash the dishes from making chicken soup and Passover brownies but unable to .....frustrating.

Breaking the glass (huh??) pan collecting water when the disposal crashes down onto it.........ridiculous.

(cool picture through the drain.......)

Looking at DH's "plumber problem" (use your imagination) all afternoon as he fixes the disposal......uck!

Getting this picture of DH...................priceless!

Heartstrings

We have been talking and planning. We started a group called Strips and Strings- A Heartstrings Project. We've actually met once or twice but still didn't finished a thing! We meet once a month at the Jewish Community Center to work on charity string quilts. We decided to work on one quilt at a time. As the quilts are finished they are assigned to a member and she has the choice of where to donate it. She is also in charge of the backing, batting and quilting. After many delays and slow starts we finished our first top today. WHoo HOo! Since it is mine, noone may see it until it is quilted! Because we are being housed at the JCC I needed to abide by some of the suggestions made by the director. She wondered if we could open it up to crochet and knitting enthusiasts. I told her of course as long as they commit to donating their project to a worthy cause. So far the only ones participating are my own friends but hopefully the community will come out and help us to create and donate quilts. I'm looking forward to practicing machine quilting on this quilt! First I need to finish the bazzillion fruit slice table runners and placemats that I've started.

I managed to get pictures of two ....cutting and ironing. The sewers were working too hard to take time out for a photo!

The fence is nearly finished. I took a picture looking through the patio to the saw horses. I wanted to show "work in progress" but the guys kept walking back and forth. I had to jump into the doorway really quick to snap a picture. Sometimes we look like nuts getting just the right shot for our blog!!!! Those pickets are the last of them (along with the open space) to be attached. It looks great and hopefully they will finish tonight! HEE HAA! No more broken teeth fencing!

Progress

I typed an entire thing this morning and blogger told me I had the wrong address or html or some such thing and lost the entire post! So... since it was boring anyways, I'll repost with more interesting news. I have been on a diet. Not just a food diet, although I have lost 8 lbs, but a money, fabric, and computer diet. Because I knew we had these big expenses, I put myself on a money diet. Since I was at retreat, I have not spent one penny on frivolous unnecessary things. Not even a diet coke. Well...maybe I lie because I did take myself out for a salad last week and this week I bought a magazine. But I actually consider this very successful. DH was travelling last week and the salad was my dinner. It was actually cheaper than going to the grocery. Basically I go to work and come home! I've been on a fabric diet for obvious reasons. I did have to buy some Kona cotton for our charity quilts but that is not for me. I am on a computer diet because I have been spending waay tooo much time goofing off. I have gone "special notice" on all my lists and have been reading blogs but not posting comments. I will resume blogging and comments because I really enjoy it. It actually feels good to be more in control of all these areas. I get out of control so easily...........

We had the duct work done last week. Now I know you cannot see how nicely the air flows through this vent but it has to be wonderful. It seems our ducts had disintegrated in the heat of our attic. The builders used the cheapest, crappiest materials in this house. All of our neighbors have had this same trouble. I can't wait to see if our electric bill will decrease. YEAH RIGHT!

Isn't' this a purty sight! Our new chimney. All finished and painted. DH will be

so happy when he gets home and sees this. As long as the repairman is here, he is also going to fix the wood around a few of our windows. Can you see WHY I am on a money diet! Tomorrow I'll post pictures of the tea towels I've finished. Can't give all the pictures in one day! Till then, I'll be cradling my checkbook in my arms. It is so stressed this week!

The time is here.....

....for many things. Yeah! I finally FEEL like going into the sewing room. I am still torn about going to a one day retreat or going to my daughter (who MUST need her mom as she calls here everyday!!! :) ) but I have begun to get my things together nonetheless. I have decided that there is NO WAY I will start another project untill I get something finished. But the "rules" to this retreat are to use your stash. So... I am using my stash. When I was in Ohio this summer, I bought 12 cotton tea towels in Berlin. The poor folks had a fire and all of their stuff was fire damaged. I bought this load of towels all brown with stinky, smelly smoke. My grandma nearly fell over when I told her I needed to wash them in her machine! Cringing all the way she supervised so that the smoke in the towels wouldn't mess up her machine! Gotta love my 91 YO grandma! Anyways, I've decided that I am going to finally use those towels and the bazillion tea towel patterns I have. I picked fabrics last night and after I pay bills...ISH!...I will begin to transfer to Heat n Bond. I am also going to take the birthday banner for my brother. I have a ton of transfering, cutting and bonding to get done before Friday because on Saturday I just want to spend the time doing hours and hours of machine blanket stitch. My goal is to finish everything on Saturday. I just don't want anything else looming over my head that needs finished.

The time is also here to beging the repairs on this house. We have all the estimates and today they do the duct work. I will schedule the fireplace later today and by the end of March we will be on the road to being house poor, but in good repair!

FUN?

Well, we found out why we have as much rain inside our house as out. We need a new chimney! Mucho dinero! Actually, at least we know where we stand on the problem and can have it fixed. I am not checking in here often as we are still waiting for our computer to be fixed. I am on the computer at school and have about 5 minutes before someone needs it for real work. I will catch up on all of your posts whenever I get my computer. For now.....Hope for the rain to quit!