Old & New Friends

As the familiar Girl Scout song goes:

Make new friends, but keep the old.  One is silver and the other is gold.

A ring is round, it has no end. That's how long I want to be your friend.

That song kept spinning in my head all weekend as I met new people, and re-connected with old friends.

I started at The Pennsylvania Quilt Extravaganza in Oaks, PA. For the first time I can remember I was not 'wowed' by any one singular quilt. Not one took my breath away. Don't get me wrong, there were many extraordinary quilts by many incredibly talented people... but I wasn't bowled over. Maybe it was the sour mood I was in. Or maybe it was the rainy weather. Maybe it was the fact that I went late in the afternoon and didn't have the excitement of a large crowd to sway me. I don't know what it was... but that didn't stop me from chatting with fellow quilters.

As I wandered the exhibits, the colors in this quilt caught my attention.

As I looked closer... I realized the color was actually made possible by hand dyed cotton string that was then machine zig-zagged on to heavy black fabric and THEN stitched together to make the quilt. The color of the thread used to zig-zag added another color dimension. Fascinating! Here's a closer look:

As I stood there soaking in the detail and saturated colors... another quilter stood by my side... we started talking... we exchanged contact information... I think we can be friends (Hi Shelia!)

Saturday a friend of mine since I was 5 years old (Hi Beth) called and invited me to join her and a group of people (Hi Jim, Dawn, & Bill) at Monmouth Park... our local horse racing park. This is not something I normally would have thought to do... but I threw caution to the wind and went. It was such a lovely day. Before the horse park I went to PADDLE DAY on the Navesink river in Red Bank, NJ... and had a delightful conversation with a member of Monmouth Boat Club (Hi Carol) and devoured a hamburger off the grill (Thanks Les!). Sprinkle in a few internet chats and phone calls from people I haven't heard from in AGES (Hi Andrea & Brian)... and it was a pretty good day.

A trip to Swedesboro, NJ on Sunday to visit my husband's gravesite (and a few others) and to attend the Wagonhouse Winery Harvest Party to listen to another friend's (and kind of relative) band (Hi Dean) ended up being another opportunity to talk with more people I haven't connected with in YEARS! (Hi Kay & Susan). On a whim I drove by another friend's that I lost contact with over the years. As luck would have it... she and her kids were on their way out to dinner... so I joined them!!! (Hi Rennie, Erin Stevie, Brian... and Gabe). Another phone call brightened my day from a friend I thought I had lost forever (You know who you are... HI). The weekend was topped off by e-conversations with an 'internet friend' I made by joining a yahoo group making BITTYs (3 1/2" quilt squares). BTW... That group is TOTALLY AWESOME!!! (Hi Sooz!)

The friends and family I have mentioned today are just a grain of sand compared to all the others I still have to re-connect with. So 'keep the light on'... I'll be headed your way. I love and appreciate every single one of you. You have all shaped my life in one way or another... and I hope I have done the same for you.

I leave you with another close up of this technicolor quilt. Notice how the purple thread over the blue looks totally different than the red thread? It's mind boggling in person.

Natural Gas Poisoning

By now you all have been reading about my hot water heater problems... but did you have any idea how serious it was? I didn't.

I had been 'sick' for about a week. So many different symptoms made it hard to diagnose... besides, I was too sick to care. I just curled up in bed and hoped the world would pass me by. A few major "events" were happening in my day to day life, so I chalked up the queasy stomach, intestinal flare ups, migraine, head cold, sneezing, and over all 'I don't give a shit' attitude to depression. Little did I know the gas leak from the hot water heater was poisoning me.

My daughter suffered some of the same symptoms... and the dogs weren't behaving right either... but I was too sick to notice or care.

As a general rule I like to keep the windows in my house open. I can't live with out fresh air blowing in my face, especially around my nose. That's the only thing that saved me from a more serious fate.

Last week a neighbor called the fire department because they smelled gas. The firemen turned the gas to the hot water heater off... and with in 6 hours or so I started to feel better.

So... beware of the silent killer!!! You can't see it, hear it, or even smell it in some cases. Read the symptoms below and commit them to memory. I didn't suffer from all of them... but quite a few to see the pattern.

Symptoms of Natural Gas Poisoning

There are a wide variety of symptoms that may occur from natural gas poisoning. The most noticeable are:

• Increased allergies
• Gastrointestinal Problems
• Fatigue
• Forgetfulness
• Mental Fogginess
• Asthma
• Depression
• Pain and Discomfort
• High Red Blood Cell Count
• High White Blood Cell Count
• Eczema
• High Cholesterol levels
• Pets are unexplainably ill
• Migraines

Keep it safe!

The HELP!

The week is only 2 days long and already it has been filled with excitement.

The saga of the hot water heater continues. The pilot light won't stay lit and the new thermal-coupler  doesn't seem to do it's job... which is turn the gas off if not being heated. So......
A friendly neighbor who was walking their dog smelled the gas spewing from my basement and called the local fire department. Here I was sitting innocently at home on the computer when 2 fire trucks, a police vehicle, a rescue vehicle, and assorted private trucks with flashing lights all come flying down my street... and screech to a halt... in front of MY house!!!

Suddenly my yard and basement were a flurry of firemen hunks checking out the situation. Sadly they were all too young for me... and my daughter (who is the PERFECT age) wasn't home to enjoy the view. Too bad. The older guys just stood around and talked for a while. Another call came in about a fire alarm tripping... and POOF... they were off and running to another call. It all happened in a span of about 20 minutes. They all came... then they all left.

In quilting news today... I spent a lot of my day learning about the Philadelphia Chapter of The Modern Quilt Guild. Their first meeting of the year is next week... which I will be attending.  Jan, the owner of Pennington Quilt Works in Pennington, NJ has offered to host a New Jersey Chapter at her store if I get it up and running. Well... you don't have to ask me twice to do something like that. In the past I have started a NJ Chapter of the Smocking Arts Guild of America (for hand smocking), The Raritan Valley Youth Chorale (a chorus designed specifically for the changing voices of adolescents. We actually sang in Carnegie Hall, NYC!), was President of Hillsborough Elementary Home & School Association, and so much more. Starting a NJ Chapter for quilters is a piece of cake! So exciting!!!

                                   I even had time to take my mom to the movies. We saw The Help.
I thought the book was FABULOUS... and the movie brought it all to life. If you get a chance to see the movie... GO!

Set in the 1960's in Mississippi... it's a story of a special bond between black maids and the families they work for... and how it all changes in the 60's. I couldn't control my laughter as Minnie arrived at Hilly's door with a special chocolate pie as a piece offering. You have to read the book, or see the movie to understand the joke behind this. Apparently there were not many of us in the audience that had read the book ahead of seeing the movie... only 4 of us knew what was going to happen.

"I is Kind." "I is Smart." "I is Important." A great lesson for us all.


Soundtrack is available on iTunes. Lead song "The Living Truth" was written and sung by Mary J. Blige.

Hot Water and Bathrooms

Hot Water… Can you live without it??? I haven’t had hot water since Irene hit 2 weeks ago. Other than taking a shower… well really washing my hair… I found I can live without it.

I do my laundry in cold water. My dishwasher has a cycle where it heats it’s own water. I heat up the teakettle when it’s time to wash the dinner dishes. So what’s the big deal???

My mom lives a town away, I could always go there to take a shower, but that would then require the obligatory visit of about 3 hours and a ride in the car… when all I want is a quick shower. 

I am fortunate enough to have a friend live just a few doors down the street… with hot water.  I pack up a few things and just like camp, I hike to the indoor plumbing.  That has its drawbacks too. I feel I need to be invited over, or schedule a shower time in advance… so I don’t interrupt their evening. The other night they called at 8:30pm and asked if I needed to use the shower. Well… no, not at 8:30 I didn’t. I was immersed in a project at the moment and it wasn’t a good time to stop. However, at 11:00 I was totally ready.

So here it is, 11:00pm… I’m sticky from the muggy day and all I want to do is take a shower and go to bed. What to do? What to do? HARK! I know!!! In the spirit of making lemonade out of lemons, I decide to make this a special ‘event’.  In the kitchen I put pots of water on all four burners to boil. I gather a few candles and matches… and pour my self a glass of wine.  I head upstairs and begin to fill the tub with chilly water. It has been AGES since I’ve taken an actual bath.

All in all it wasn’t so bad. The four pots of water weren’t quite enough to heat the bath water to a comfortable level… not to mention the effort it took to haul them up there without spilling. There was no way to wash my hair and rinse it without freezing (so I skipped it), and I realized too late that the only soap dish in the tub is way up high. At least I was able to wash away the grit and grime of the day and go to sleep feeling clean.

Hot showers are still a dream to me. I'm so jealous you can take a hot shower any time you want! Short of calling in the professionals… I have tried everything to fix my hot water heater after the flooded basement. Yesterday a friend came over and actually got the pilot lit… but it didn’t hold. He’s trying again today. If it doesn’t stay lit today, it’s time to call in the big guys… and hope it doesn’t take my last nickel to pay for it.

Speaking of my bathroom… I think my daughter and I should win an award for 2 adult females (and 2 dogs) sharing (and surviving) the world's smallest main bathroom.

This is our bathroom. That's all there is. The door is on the right, the tub on the left. I am sitting on 'the throne' to take the photo and my left knee is hitting the wall at the end of the tub. The one and only electrical outlet is behind the towel and we have to open the bathroom door (which doesn't stay shut unless you lock it) for elbow room just to blow dry our hair. It's cute, it's cramped, but at least it's easy to clean. All I want is for hot water to come out of that ONE faucet. Is that too much to ask???

Bye Bye Boogie Man Quilt...

Boogie Man Quilt  is FINALLY up on etsy.com! I think it's adorable... take a look for yourself.

Boogie Man Quilt  

The next top on the machine and ready to quilt is a beautiful baby quilt. Pieced in soft pink, blue, green, yellow and white pinwheels... it is sure to become a family heirloom.

On the design board is a really different (Unique and Novel?) quilt. It's called 'The Boyfriend Shirt' Quilt and is made of upcycled (and dry cleaned) men's shirts. So comfortable... it will be perfect to snuggle in when your 'main squeeze' can't be with you.

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day!! I spent mine spray painting a very useful, but down right ugly chest of many drawers picked up off the curb on bulk trash night a few weeks ago. Originally used in someone's garage... it will now be in my home studio. Dear son-in-law hammered some new wood on the back and sides (permanently hammering closed one of the drawers... oops!) to make it a bit more sturdy. My dear daughter... the organized one in the family... is drooling in the wet paint anxiously awaiting the precise moment it is dry so she can fill up all the drawers with my junk (uh... treasures and tools). Before and after photos will proudly be posted this upcoming week.

Back to living on air... AGAIN!!

I tried... I really did. I took a job with Michael's Arts and Crafts... but no sooner did I start to settle in... I quit. I have major trouble working for a large corporation apparently. I was a good worker... you can put me on the cash register, restocking team, even full time in the custom framing department. I excelled in all of those positions... but I wasn't happy. Panic attacks set in as I left for work at 4:45am. I breathed through them... and MADE myself get passed them... but it only lasted a few hours. I can't continue to work at a place that gives me panic attacks and stress. It's not healthy.

In retrospect... I would probably still be working there if they hadn't scheduled me to work this Saturday, all day. In the few months I have been there I have never been scheduled to work a Saturday. Since I became 'full time' it is expected that I could be scheduled any 35 hours a week that suited the company. I made plans for this Saturday. Nothing that couldn't be changed, this time. I can't deal with the fact that Michael's 'owns' me and my schedule has to revolve around theirs. I know, I know, with so many people out of a job I should be happy to have any job at all. I get it. Besides, it's not like I have a life or anything. However, I can't get passed the panic attacks. This whole thing comes as a shock to me since I normally have no problems at all working 24/7.

I never used to be like that. I guess it's just all the garbage I've gone through these past years that make me like this. Or maybe it's that the trial is coming up. Or maybe because my birthday is friday. Whatever it is... I can't handle it, so I'm back to scraping enough money together every month to pay my bills and eat. Always a challenge.

Now that I'm back to being really dirt poor again... when did nail polish become so expensive?? I decided to buy some pink polish for my fingers and toes today, to cheer me up... but I couldn't justify the cost. $8.49???? Oh my!!! Certainly NOT in my budget!! Currently I am saving up to get a tooth fixed, so every penny counts! When you are on a shoe string budget it is such a shocker to see what you used to so frivolously spend your cash on. So tonight I will file my nails, apply oil to my cuticles and be happy with the 'au naturale' look. Pink piggies are no big deal.

So... what am I going to do now? I'm designing and sewing QUILTS!!! My first design is called Bye-Bye Boogie Man. As soon as I finish writing the directions the finished quilt, patterns and fabric kit will all be available on my etsy site. Look for it in about a week.

Bye Bye Boogie Man Quilt
on machine ready to be quilted

I'm still making charms... I just haven't had the time to photograph them and post (I'll have all the time in the world now). Not to mention a few surprises I have up my sleeve. So keep posted as I resume blogging!!!

Thank you to everyone inquiring about my safety the past few days. Irene came and went. Left me with a basement full of water and tons of debris littering my yard. I was lucky. Some of my neighbors had trees go down, docks destroyed, and boats swamped. See... being poor has it's advantages... I didn't have any of those things to worry about. My sump pump went in to action once the power came back on... and pumped out 3 to 4 feet of water in one day. This weekend I will pull everything out of the basement and wash it, dry it, or throw it out... then everything will be back to normal. At least in this house. Many of the surrounding areas still are without power... basements are still flooded... boardwalks destroyed. Michael's has been closed since Irene hit as has many stores since power has yet to be restored. We are all safe and dry. Thanks for asking!

And my book??? Whatever happened to my book plans??? To be honest I haven't written a word since I moved to this new house. If I had to guess... I think I didn't write because it made me sad... and I wanted to be happy in this new house. Well... things have changed a bit. Happiness isn't all it's cracked up to be... or rather, happiness is an illusion and I got caught up in it. So... I'll be back to writing on a daily basis... especially during the upcoming trial!

Keep safe! Be happy!

Deb

Crazy House = Crazy Life!!!

"Bark, Bark"!
"Ruff, Ruff"!
"Bark"!
"Grrrrr...."!
"Whine"!
"Sigh".

Those are the sounds in my house beginning at 6:30am. Three dogs... yes, THREE... and none of them are mine. Yet, that's MY sigh at the end.

Stephanie and Curt (Middle child and husband) have left for their fabulous trip to Thailand, leaving me to care for Emma (their beloved little princess doggie), Kai (Curt's colorful beta fish), 2 plants (barely alive as it is) and a few odds and ends to tidy up for Kreative Events.

Throw in Lauren's (Oldest child) 2 dogs, Chase (PERFECT name for him as he runs away every chance he gets) and Darla (who's afraid of her own shadow)... and things get a little crazy around here. Lauren's boyfriend, Kevin is home from the military for a spell... so she is spending 'face time' with him for a few days... again leaving me in charge.

Stir in my Mom, living in the next town needing my attention... and add a dash of starting a part time job at Michael's... and you have the perfect recipe for a crazy house.

It's funny how things come back to haunt you. I did a great job and raised 3 wonderful kids... now I have 3 crazy dogs to take care of. Somehow I don't really see a difference :-)