Creative Sausage

Yesterday I put on a dress I hadn't worn since last summer and boy was it tight. I think I've been in denial on how much weight I've gained over the winter. This dress was a definite wake up call.  I felt like a stuffed sausage and completely unattractive.  So what did I do?  I kept wearing it all day.  I think I needed to be uncomfortable and unattractive to drive the point home to my brain.  I absolutely did not like how I felt and looked.

In frustration I spent all day working on a design for the boy child because he and Sarah are going to Disneyland in June.  I figured they could use some new beach towels and a bag to go with them.

Here's the process I go through when dealing with a new design.

Once I've picked and edited a design, I start figuring the colors.  For some unknown reason, I just can't pull a color out and go....'Perfect'.  Nope, I have to pull every color I have on hand and go through them one by one.

I print up a sheet that tells me which color or piece of the design is going to sew out and in what order.  I write in each square the name and color of thread I'm going to use.  I put a star next to the colors that will sew out more than once so I make sure they get a permanent position on the machine and I don't have to spend time adding and subtracting them manually.

As you can see by this picture, I recycle paper.  These are just my notes so it doesn't matter if there's printing on the back of the sheet.  I think this one has information on my Kodak printer when I was searching best prices and specs.

Once I've got the colors selected they go on the machine.  If the design takes more than 6 colors, I take the extra spools and line them up in the order they'll be sewing out.  That way, I stay organized and don't tie on the wrong color. This pictures shows I'll do the rust, then cream, then silver, then dark grey.

Of course, I always have my crack guard dogs on alert to make sure no one comes in and steals my designs or supplies.  See why I have two chairs in the sewing room?  It's that or I'd end up sitting on the floor trying to work on the computer.  LOL!

Anyway, I sew out a sample of the design first.  That way I have the option of changing some of the colors if I feel it's necessary.  On this particular design, I didn't like the outside of the sand dollar being dark grey, plus it didn't hug the design and looked awful.  I cut that portion of the design out and outlined the sand dollar again closer to the edges and made it the same beige as the fill.  It look neater and cleaner.

It's hard to tell how vibrant these colors are in this little picture but trust me they are.  I should have made the design a bit smaller so it would be easier to put on the bag but was too lazy to do the additional edit.  That was not the smartest move because it took a lot of time to set up.  The machine didn't like the tight quarters and I had to do a last minute adjustment on the lettering in the middle of the design being embroidered out.

Next time I'll take the extra 5 minutes or so and reduce the size of the design. That would save me about 20 minutes of fussing around during the embroidery process.

The upside is....I had moments of the day when I wasn't thinking what a stuffed sausage I'd become.  LOL!

Mother's Day

Well, it's a bit late but I finally got the Mother's Day gift C and I bought mom to her.  Just when you figure how long shipping will be, someone throws a wrench in the works to mess things up.  Oh well, better late then never.

Check out this keyboard.  It's for the visually impaired.    When I worked for the Bank I used to order checks for the visually impaired and they loved them.  They were huge, yellow like the keyboard with big black lettering.

When I saw this keyboard last month, it just screamed mom.  I got it all set up for her to make sure it works.  She told me she wasn't writing emails because she couldn't see the keys on her black keyboard.  I didn't know that before I bought this.  Now she doesn't have an excuse for not keeping in contact with us.  Hint...hint...mom.

We also had a nice quiet lunch at Chili's.  Boy, I've got to tell ya, I had the chicken tenders and they really were.  Tender.  Usually they're dry but these were moist and juicy.  I brought some home in my little lunch bag.  The server was nice enough to fill a zip lock bag with ice for me so the chicken was nice and fresh when I got home.  Guess I know what I'm having for dinner.

Y'all keep a watch out for those emails from mom on her new keyboard!

Tired and Sore

Today was a tough day.  I've been moving slow because I hurt my back yesterday and am having trouble moving without pain.  I spent the morning drugged up and in bed but felt it made sense to move around.

D & I decided we'd take the dogs for a walk in the park.  We need to get Nisie socialized so she'll quit being scared and growling at strangers.  As you can see, it's a horrible park but we suffered through having to spend time there.

Luckily, D doesn't bother reading my blog or I'd be in trouble for posting this picture.  As you can tell, hanging around the park was exhausting so we had to nap after eating our picnic lunch.

Ahhhh....here's the reason for hurting my back.  For some reason I was under the illusion I was still in my 20's so I turned all the dirt over in this area and planted my tomatoes.  Uncle Leonard would be proud of me but D isn't happy with the hurt back, sunburn and hurt thigh I'm suffering from today.  

For some reason, he's under the impression I over did it yesterday.  I think I'll divide the rest of the garden into thirds and tackle a little at a time.  That is once I can bend over again.

The hurt will be well worth it when I eat my first tomato sandwich of the season.  OH YEAH...that will be absolute heaven.  I'll even take a pill so I can put Best Foods Mayo on the bread and not get a migraine.  Yep, I've been dreaming of this for quite some time now.

I just came in from checking on the tomato plants to see if anything ate them last night.  We'll, it's an official record.  They made it 24 hours without being eaten by bugs, rabbits or deer.  YAHOO!

Look at my little grape vines I planted at the end of the summer last year.  I wasn't quite sure if they'd survive because they were pretty sickly when I planted them.  These two are looking good.  The one on the other side of the gate (not shown) is a little anemic.  I'm hoping it'll perk up and become a real plant someday.

Desk and Ruby Ring

There are a couple of things I don't like about my desk....the opening for my chair isn't wide enough.  The slide out shelf sits on top of my right top drawer so the drawer has to be open to use it.  Which means my knees won't fit under it.

What I absolutely love is.....the drawers don't go the entire depth of the opening.  I have a bit of air space where I can hide my surge protector and have all my power cords disappear through the hole in the top of my desk.  Now that's just simply convenient.

I was plugging in my new printer in hopes of getting it up and running but ran into a little snag.  Make that two little snags.  When I got on my knees to get into the opening to plug in the new baby, I was instantly attacked by these frightening beasts.  You can see Nuttie has a hold of my finger and  Nisie is trying to figure how she does that and doesn't get scolded. 

Actually, Nuttie will grab hold of your hand (when given the chance) and try and walk you around the room.  It's hilarious and she never bites down hard. Just enough force to gently guide you where she wants you to go.  Needless to say, I had to give up on the project until the little beasts wore themselves out playing.

Yesterday I went to a bridal shower.  It was rather cool.  It was small and intimate which was nice because the last shower I went to was in a rented hall with about 70 women in attendance.  Talk about not the least bit fun.  It took forever for the expectant mother to open the gifts.  To say everyone lost interest after 20 minutes was an understatement.

Anyway....I digress....at yesterdays shower there were  only 9 of us.  It was great.  Each one of us was a character and we had to come as that character.  I was Ruby Ring who thought she had fashion sense but really didn't.  I figured, she had a little fashion sense but always went a bit to far and added that splash of gaudy.   Hence the canary yellow with the perfectly matched red/black dress and hat.

What you can't see is the great plastic WalMart jewelry I bought.  It was made from all the colors of the rainbow.  Necklaces, ear rings and bracelets.  Now I've got something for Taylor to wear and play with next time she  comes over.

Anyway, this was a mystery...who done it and a lot of fun.  The shower was an afternoon tea served in courses, soup, salad, finger sandwiches, dessert then cake.  At each course someone would read who they were and their story.  Each of us had jewelry stolen and we had to figure who the thief was.   

The downside to taking pictures is you never end up in any of them.  Then of course there's the fat factor.  I always look fat in pictures so I hate them.  I thought for the fun of it I'd take my own picture.  It actually turned out to be one of the better ones of me.

Now I know the secret to looking thin and younger in a picture.  Put on to much make-up.  Pop a hat with a veil on your head.  Wrap a boa around your pudgy little neck to hid all the chins.   Well it worked for me!  LOL!

Today my beautiful daughter will be picking me up to take me to lunch for Mom's Day.  It's going to be great.  We haven't seen each other in a few weeks so it's time to play catch up.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO YOU ALL!

Keep'n Busy

I'm putting on my best snobbish attitude here so I can say....."I live in a gated community".  Okay...okay....the nose is coming down to the correct level, the snobbish English accent is now gone and I've thudded back to earth.

I've added a couple more child/dog gates.  Now there are three.  One for the hall, one for the entry into the living room and one for the dining room door.  I can now get some of the light from the dining room into the kitchen by not having to leave the pocket door closed to keep the dogs out.

I haven't hit D with the idea of adding one at the end of the hall so we can leave the guest bedroom door open to let the light into that end of the house.  I'm thinkin' a gate just might show up sometime in June.  Since he doesn't go down there, it could take years before he sees I've added one.  Hahahahahaha!

Oye....it's one of those icky tiring days.  I know it's only been raining off and on for two days but I already feel my internal solar battery starting to drain.  It's even ruined my urge to want to sew.  Maybe if I go out and get some Chinese food for lunch that'll help rev my engine.  At the very least, I won't have to cook dinner.

I've had tummy cramps and an upset tummy all morning.  I was hoping I'd be up to snuff by now since it's almost 11:00.  So far that isn't happening.  I'm going to continue to ignore how I feel in hopes it just disappears.  LOL!

This helped a bit.  Tom's daughters are on a swim team and they needed a beach bag for their goodies.  I embroidered this design for Erika's large bag.

Since Mary Ann is still a little squirt she got this design for her large bag.

I went more colorful for the small bag for Erika.  I picked this particular tote because it's got a denier interior which makes it a bit more water resistant for a wet towel or bathing suit.

I think this one is my favorite because it's so simple.  It definitely says, "Summertime!" to me.

Time to order Chinese food, go pick it up and then put in a movie and veg out for the rest of the day.  Yep....I think that's what the doctor would order.

Sun, Sand & Surf.

Poor me....yesterday Sarah kidnapped me and we went to Santa Cruz.  It was a wonderful day.  Relaxed and low key.   We started out at this lighthouse which was on its own little finger of land surrounded by sand and sea.

It had these huge cement forms all around it to keep the ocean back.  Here's Sarah standing by one but the camera just didn't pick up its massive size.

This is out of order because it's on the other end of the beach from the lighthouse.  We walked about 3/4 mile down the beach rounded this cliff and there was the boardwalk.  We couldn't get there by walking because of the little river that divides it from the beach we were on.  I was surprised at the great picture my little Canon camera took.

Back to the strange big cement forms.  If you stood at the edge of the walkway, peered down between the forms and found a patch of sun, you'd see a crab or two warming itself on the rock.  There were to many to count.

See the lighthouse in the picture?  That's how far we walked.  We strolled and took our time so weren't out of breath or tired.  Look at how empty the beach is.  I think we saw about a dozen people.  Considering it was a warm beautiful day, I really thought there might be more.

See why I hate my picture taken?  I look like a chunky monkey.  Sarah on the other hand looks cute.  And tall....I thought she was my height.  Dang!

You can tell the wildlife on the wharf is skittish of humans.  No....no food or treat involved.  This guy just said, "Hey dude!  I'm not gonna stand here forever.  Take my darn picture!"  So I did.

Every time I tried to take a picture of a pelican it moved.  These are two pictures that didn't actually make the bird look like a blur.

I'm trying to decide if hanging around all day on the water would be boring or fun.  One thing's for sure, he doesn't need sun block like I do.  

Which by the way, I had on minimal make up and my Loreal daytime face cream has a sun block in it and I didn't get the least bit burned.  I was surprised.

These guys reminded me of a game of pickup sticks.  There's no way you could lift one and not have someone tumble over.

The wharf was covered in hundreds of seals.  You could barely see that the wharf was white.  Then something spooked them and there was a mass exit into the water.  It was like a mild sonic boom in feel and sound.

Some of the seals took off to do some playing and hunting while the others decided all was well with the world and headed back to the Wharf.  It was obviously the end of mating season because of all the pups.

The picture at the top of the blog is a little pup that was at the top of the ramp all by itself.  It was perfectly happy napping in the warm sun without being crushed by the crowd.  He didn't even bother to jump in the water when everyone else took off.  He wasn't giving up his alone time for anyone.