ATTENTION: As of February 23, 2010, please check this
http://diannespringer.blogspot.com/ for new Threads.
Thanks for checking in on my "whenever" column......
December 28, 2009
This is always a good day for me. It is a celebration of the day that I married my wonderful husband. Yep, our
anniversary, 45 and counting. He makes it so very easy to be married -- to stay married. He is kind, supportive, loving,
generous....spoils me at every level. I actually have a shirt that announces that; it says "SPOILED" on the front of the
shirt. Often when I wear it, someone asks me, "Doesn't that shirt bother you?" My response, "Are you kidding me? I am
proud to be spoiled. I work at it, so does my husband." He also makes me laugh, a lot. He makes me smile, a lot....hmmm,
I think I am going to go put a smile on his face, too. See ya....
December 22, 2009
HoHoHo. I met Santa Claus, today, in person !! It was so delightful.
I had made my list, and checked it twice....unfortunately it was not my Christmas wish list, it was a list of the of errands I
had to accomplish, today. So, with my car packed with gifts to deliver and my wallet not nearly packed enough, I set out.
One of the items on my long long list was purchasing some produce from a local market. So, there I was, arms full of
gorgeous Lousiana oranges, heading back out to get in my car. There was a gentleman looking at my car and grinning.
Silly me, I was pridefully, thinking he was admiring the jazzy car, itself. When I approached him, he smiled and said, "You
must be delivering Christmas presents." I said, "As a matter of fact, I am." He said, "I am too. I am delivering freshly
chopped meat and freshly made sausage." "Wow," I said, " I have been a very good girl, too. Of course, that all depends
on how one defines, 'GOOD," heh heh." We both chuckled and I sat in my car getting ready to drive off when the man
(Santa) waved his hand at me to stop. He reached in his sleigh and got out a package. He came over to my window and
handed me a lovely container of sausage !!" What a surprise. Yes, Dianne, there really is a Santa.
Merry Christmas to all of you.
December 21, 2009
Today would have been my Dad's 88th birthday. Happy Birthday, Daddy, wherever you are. I love you.
December 20, 2009
What excuses can I come up with this time for why I have been so neglectful about this blog? None. I hate excuses.
I am basically done with my Christmas preparations. Think I should share the fact that I pay my daughter to come to the
house and put up the tree and all the decorations? Heh heh, I love it. She is one of my Angels here on Earth. Luckily I am
surrounded by Angels --
In the meantime, I have totally cleaned out my fabric closet. I decided I did not need all of the stash that I had
accumulated. As I went through stacks and stacks of fabric, I kept wondering, "Where did all this come from???" Oh
well. It is all bagged, tagged, and ready to move to someone else's closet. How wonderful to have it where I can actually
see some shelf. My new year's resolution just might be to keep this closet organized, to put a lid on my fabric
purchases.................................oh my, the mailman just arrived.........................heh heh....there is always room for more
Laurel Burch..............
December 8, 2009
Hello, my name is Dianne and I am the person who is supposed to be attending to the business at hand, like this blog.
Either I am trying to set a record for the longest time NOT adding to her blog, or I am in danger of being fired from my
job....oh, wait, I am not being paid for doing this, anyway....in fact, I am the boss....DUH.
I can proudly announce, "We did it." My daughter and I both walked the 3-Day 60 Mile 'Walk. The amazing thing was
that Brandy, even with her sore leg, completed nearly every step. Also, I am delighted to say that for the second time, I
never even had so much as one little blister. Lucky lucky me. The more impressive thing was the number of walkers
who continued with tons of blisters, sore legs, shin splints, bad knees, etc. They are the champions. I have to say that
the most difficult thing for me was trying to sleep on a mattress that lost its air and not having enough blankets so we put
on nearly every stitch of clothing we brought and slept like lovers, cuddling, trying to keep from freezing to death. In
spite of all that, I am thinking of signing up, again. Hmmm, more data for sending me to a looney bin....
One of the things that has kept me busy is completing that Block of the Month quilt. I did it in about two weeks. As I said
earlier, there is a reason that it is called "Block of the MONTH." It was enough to burn me out on quilting for a while.
Good thing I bought a needlepoint canvas at Market, heh heh.
Oh, I finally remembered to put a photo of the new rug I was asked to make for the Roc-Lon corporation. Ta Da.
The size is 7' x 10'
November 16, 2009
My stress level is through the roof. Husband, Tom, left for New Orleans this morning. I am trying to ship, pack, work on a
quilt that was "due" two weeks ago, make desserts for my meeting tonight, etc. all the while trying not to think about
"worse case scenarios" when it comes to our daughter's health. Add to that a major case of GUILT for not even being
there in New Orleans while all of this is coming to a head. Later folks. Have a great week if I do not see you before then.
November 15, 2009 (nada)
Finally back home. I can never understand how one can be so exhausted from just sitting and waiting...and waiting...and
waiting....We actually left Brandy in New Orleans. The doctors had no tests scheduled for the weekend so we decided to
try our best to get some things done before Monday when they are supposed to run additional tests. We tried to check
Brandy out of the hospital for the weekend but it got way too complicated. Fingers crossed that she is released by
Tuesday and gets to go to California with me. Right now we do not even know when the surgery is supposed to happen.
It seems that there is an inverse correlation with the number of folks involved and the amount of information that is
given.
November 8, 2009 (0 miles)
I am thinking, exactly how many miles can I possibly get in between now and the walk???? Probably none. Big Fat Zero.
Tomorrow we leave for New Orleans and the doctor's appointment. Gone until the weekend, then leave for The Walk.
Today was the second of the two day Artists' Studio Tour. I had a great time demonstrating how to make glass beads, but,
again, no time to walk. Now to pack for New Orleans, ship some packages, pack for the San Diego thingie, then the
Thanksgiving trip the day we return from San Diego. Am I babbling? Feels like I am babbling. If I do not return until after
the Holiday, have lots of Turkey, and even more pie, heh heh.
November 6. 2009 (4 miles)
Definitely looks like I am working on another month long hiatus. Believe me, it is not intentional. I am long overdue
learning the meaning of, and USE of the word, "NO." I keep trying to blame someone else, anyone else, for the
predicaments I manage to get myself into.
Check out this situation: A local quilt shop owner asked if I would choose the fabrics for a block of the month quilt. Mind
you, she announced this in front of about 25 women who all said, "Hey, if Dianne is selecting the fabrics, I want to
register." O.M.G, talk about pressure. I am going to need Valium, big time. It is one thing to pick fabrics for your own
quilt, but for 50-60 others?????? Did I say, "NO thank you?" Of course not, remember, I do not know the meaning or use
of that word."
. Now, this is no ordinary quilt. It probably has 50-60 different fabrics and could have more if one chose to do so. The
quilt is fabulous. In fact, I am the one who talked the show owner into purchasing the pattern. What amazes me is why
every shop who sells sewing machines does not use this quilt to teach the owners about different stitches, feet, a
variety of techniques, etc.
Anyway, there was no way the shop had enough variety in her fabrics to make this baby. So, on the spur of the moment, I
headed to Dallas to Moda and P&B fabrics. A few thousand $$$, and two days later, I began making a sample quilt. This
was nearly two weeks ago and I have now gotten about three hours of sleep each night. My goal was to complete the
quilt by this Friday (today) HA HA HA HA. Talk about delusional..... There is a reason this was called a block of the MONTH.
Sigh.
Did I mention that I had agreed to participate in the Artists' Studio Tour which also happens to begin tomorrow morning?
You guessed it, I have done nothing to add to my jewelry or anything else. I headed out to the studio tonight to try my
best to practice beadmaking. My torch has been on the fritz for weeks so add that to my stess list.
Did I mention that our house has decided to spring several leaks with all the torrential rain? and, one of the places that
was affected was the bathroom in the studio? I returned from Market/Festival to major mold all over the ceiling. Of
course, my husband decided to wait until today to repair the ceiling so there is dust and gunk all over the place. .....
Did I mention that we then leave on Monday for New Orleans for my daughter's surgery? We should be gone all week,
returning Sunday so I can host the Pokino group on Monday, home two more days then leave for San Diego and the 60
MIle Breast Cancer Walk, returning on Monday, leaving on Tuesday for our family Thanksgiving, returning
December,...then...well, that pretty much eats up the month of November and somewhere in there I am supposed to finish
remaking two bedspreads my mother bought, make the dust ruffles and matching pillows before heading to the
Feasting? Talk about delusional-- talk about stupid human tricks....David Letterman, book me now.
October 22, 2009 (6 miles)
Hard to believe it has been nearly a month since I added to my Threads. Oh well, We have yet to settle on a date fro
Brandy's surgery. I often wonder what the doctor does when it is someone that they care about who needs attention .
Quilt Market was not what folks expected, that is for sure. The assumption is that shop owners are trying to save some
$$ by having the distributors come to them rather than spend the money on travel and hotels. I can certainly understand
that but it is not good for the rest of us who spent large $$ getting to the show and setting up a booth. Oh well, such is
life. My favorite part of the whole thing is seeing other people's creativity, getting to meet the designers and creators of
so many awesome things, just talking to everyone. We all know how much I hate to talk, heh heh.
Quilt Festival was another thing altogether. It was great. My daughter calls these "Ego Trips," and I concur. How could it
not make your day when so many different folks come to your booth and say, "I love your booth, your products, your
sense of color and design, etc,??" I am definitely not immune to any of that. I love it. Probably the best was the owner of
one of the booths that specializes in African materials who saw me walking around (spending while my son watched the
booth, hee hee) and motioned for me to come to his booth. He said, in the most wonderful accent, "I just love your
booth. It is the best booth in the show, I want to live in your booth. I want the rug you have on the floor. " He was just a
doll. I offered to make a rug for him out of his fabrics and you would have thought I was giving him the moon.
Speaking of my "walking around," just going to the bathroom ends up costing me big bucks. It got to the point that
whenever I told my son I had to go to the bathroom, he would reach into the cash drawer and had me $100 bucks
because no matter what aisle I took, I saw something I "needed" to use in my designs....now if I can just live long enough
to try all of them out, gulp.
September 30, 2009
Finally, we have photos of our daughter's wrecked car. I am posting them and repeating, "We are lucky; we are blessed."
September 29, 2009 (11 miles, sort of...)
Today I wussed out. I got to the 10+ portion of the walk and called my husband for some water. (Bless his heart, he loves
to bring me things as I walk.) He drove to meet me and the Car called out loudly to me, screaming, "Get in. Do not get
out. Go home." I listened.
September 28, 2009
Argh. Went to the dentist today. I hate going to the dentist. Just having them say, "Open your mouth," makes me
cringe. My preference, just behind Never Going To The Dentist, ever, would be drugs! Wake up, take knock-out amounts
of drugs, get driven to the dentist, sleep through everything, and then be driven home -- wake up with a smile and no
memory.
September 27, 2009 (15 miles)
I am definitely old. I mean, whew, poooped. I even took a two hour nap after the walk, today. Jeez, what a geezer.
I have been a busy little girl. Not only am I using up a large portion of my days walking, but I have been working on mini
quilts for months, preparing for several quilt/art shows that run almost back-to-back. Since Thursday I have been
involved with the Jonesboro Heritage Quilt Festival. These small festivals are often my favorites because everyone is
so helpful and and pleasant. Also, this time I had an entire room to display and decorate. What fun. Too bad I am still too
dumb to remember to take pictures!
Perhaps this weekend when I do the Red River Festival I can get my head on straight. In the meantime, I am spending my
"spare" time trying my best to get the rug completed for a canvas company who wanted me to test their cloth. Of this I
will definitely take photos since it will probably be the last time I get to see it. What a ton of work to "give" away and not
even know if they will like the end result.....
September 23, 2009
Still nothing new to report on Brandy's condition. We are apparently going to have to go to New Orleans to see a doctor.
Fingers crossed, prayers said.....
September 22, 2009
Here is the story: I should just say, "Ditto," to my last blog. Talk about things changing with one phone call. We are
reeling in a state of....what, shock?, disbelief? relief? A couple of days after the car accident where the emergency room
doctors did every test they could think of to check for injuries, we received another call. This call was from one of the
doctors who treated Brandy after the accident. He called to say that the complete results of the tests were in and it was
discovered that Brandy has over 90% blockage in one of her arteries. This is totally unrelated to her accident. It
apparently has been going on for quite some time and was never discovered even with all the tests for her liver surgery,
her hysterectomy, her....whatever. Left untreated, as it has been, it is a death sentence. The reason I mentioned "relief"
earlier is that we still have time to do something about this because it was discovered at all. I repeat, miracles do
happen--who would have thought that a car accident could save a life??? Now, we have to get her to a vascular
surgeon. The problem now is no one will treat her because she was not working long enough at her new job for her new
insurance to kick in. What has happened to the doctors who are in it for the humanity aspect? not just for the money?
September 21, 2009 (10 miles)
Cannot even talk. Too worried to write. Perhaps tomorrow....
September 20, 2009 (14 miles)
Just proud to say I made it. I am pooped.
September 17, 2009 (5 miles)
Whew. Lives can change with the speed of only one phone call. Around 5:00 yesterday evening we received a call
letting us know that our daughter, Brandy, had been in a car accident and was in the emergency room in Minden. Yet,
again, she proves that miracles happen and some folks are granted 9 lives. She is down several of those, definitely one
was added to the "used" column after this incident. The doctor kept running tests, an MRI, CAT scans, X-Rays, etc. She
had seen a photo of the car and just simply could not believe that anyone could have survived the impact let alone have
survived it without major problems. The car Brandy was driving was rear-ended by a truck to the extent that the rear of
her car was forced into the front of the car with part of it wrapping around the driver's side of the vehicle. She had on a
seat belt and was still thrown into the passenger side of the car, tennis shoes torn off her feet. She was knocked out for
several minutes and came to only to see the driver of the other car lighting up a cigarette. She screamed at him to put
the cigarette out because there could be gas fumes. It seems pretty obvious that this guy was not running on all
cylinders! She is lucky, we are lucky. Brandy received only soreness and bruises. More evidence, Miracles do happen.
Whew.......
September 15, 2009 (4 miles)
I am a good girl. Today it was misty and I still did my walk. O.K., so I did it out of guilt
because I did not walk the nine mile one on Sunday. I just could not handle two days
of guilt. Should I mention that I was also trying to undo the damage of my dinner from
the night before???
Last night for my birthday dinner, my husband had plans to take me to some fancy
restaurant. I changed those plans. I asked for a hamburger with bleu cheese. He
had to call all over town to find someone who made those. Success was ours. We
had a huge hamburger loaded with cheese on a jalapeno bun and it was joined by
some wonderful sweet potato chips. Of course, I burped all night long from
indigestion but that is why God gave us Alka Seltzer ! Bring on the bread pudding.....
Oh, here is the picture of the winner of the Quilt Raffle. TADA.
September 14, 2009
Congratulations to Candace Bartmess of West Monroe, LA. She is the winner of the drawing for the "Very Pink" quilt.
She told us that she had lost a grandmother and an aunt to breast cancer so she was very grateful that she not only had
won the quilt in honor of her loved ones but was pleased that she was able to help.
I want to thank not only Candace but all the other wonderful folks out there who helped us reach our goal. Without your
kindness and generosity we would never have completed this phase of our "project." We are appreciative of every
penny that you guys gave. Now, pray for our feet. We have lots and lots more walking to do before the big event the
weekend of November 20.
By the way, today is my Birthday!! I told my husband that I feel like a banana. It takes so long to get to the ripe stage, the
perfect time to enjoy, then, boom, in only a very short time, it is too ripe, age spots and squishy flesh......hmmmm. Think I
should change my name to Chiquita?
September 13, 2009 (oops, a few too many clouds -- skipped the walk)
O.K. so I am a wuss. I did not do the 9 mile walk that was scheduled for today. The only way I am going to walk in the rain
is during the actual event, itself. Otherwise, I am in the studio having fun. Hopefully you are doing something on your
weekend that brings a smile, too.\
Tomorrow we go down to the local newspaper office for the drawing of the winner of my quilt. Good luck all of you
wonderful folks who helped us reach our personal goal as well as helping bring us all closer to the goal of beating
cancer!
September 12, 2009 (13 miles)
Amazing what things thrill me these days. Take today for instance--it was a cloudy day. When a person is walking for
three and a half hours, it is a big deal when there are clouds to block the sun. And, yes, I was definitely thrilled.
The rest of our day was same ol' same 'ol, except for the fact that our son was in from Houston and we went to dinner at a
terrific new Bistro here in town to celebrate our birthdays. Yummy.
September 11, 2009
This is always a day tinged with sadness and reflection. It will be that way for many years to come.
Luckily for me, it turned into a lovely day. Not only did we get some much needed rain, but my friend, Jan, invited me to
go with her to Monroe to have a birthday lunch for MOI. It is not actually my birthday until Monday, the 14th, but it
definitely does not hurt my feelings any to start the celebration early. At this age it helps to stretch out the good parts for
as long as possible. My son, Chris, is driving in from Houston for a late celebration of his birthday, and an early
celebration of mine. From the beginning I have considered him my own personal birthday present. He was "unwrapped"
just 6 days before my birthday and is very likely the only time my husband gave me my present early. Doll that my
husband is, he usually does his shopping and giving at the last second. To think that little gift just grew and turned into
this wonderful young man. Some gifts are hard to top.
September 10, 2009 (5 miles)
Warning: Time for one of those snooze reports. Boring days, boring nights. For "normal" folks, my life is probably too
smushed up with too many things to do in too little time. Unfortunately, for me, that is normal. Once I read that there are
folks who believe that if a person stayed busy and had a lot of projects going, they would never die because there were
too many projects that needed to be completed. Based on that theory, I will outlive Methuselah.
I am actually back to my plan where I need to invent a longer day. It has to be that or give up sleeping altogether.... Of
course, this is probably not a problem for anyone reading this Thread, today, as you are probably already asleep.
September 8, 2009 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR SWEET CHRIS.
I LOVE YOU AND HOPE YOU HAVE MANY
MANY MORE WONDERFUL YEARS TO CELEBRATE
September 6, 2009 (7 mile)
Got a little smarter; started a little bit earlier. Therefore, the walk was not only shorter, it was much more pleasant than
yesterday with its cooler morning temperature. Can anyone be looking forward to cooler weather more than my daughter
and I are? One would think that I would be losing weight just in sweat, alone. HA. Not happening.
Guess I had better go make more samples for Festival. Houston is quickly rearing its head. Of course, par for the
course, I stopped and worked on the least important project that I had, the comforters for Mother's beach house. Dumb.
They sure are cute, though....
Have a safe and fun Labor Day tomorrow.
September 5, 2009 (12 miles)
Too hot and too exhausted to add more than, "What was I thinking!!!!!????
September 4, 2009
Today was Pfaff Club. I was rushing to get there on time, which for me means no more than 15 minutes after it starts. So,
by my definition I was right on time. To my surprise I was waaay early, like a day early. Luckily the Friday group invited me
to stay so it was definitely not a wasted trip. To my delight, those wonderful ladies also added to our fundraising efforts
and I am delighted to say: GREAT news -- my daughter and I have met our goal for the Breast Cancer 3-Day. Louise
Adams of The Fabric Shop really tipped the scale with a very generous donation on behalf of her sister who,
unfortunately, has become one of the reasons we walk. Please say a little prayer for her and all the others who are
battling this monster.
September 3, 2009 (5 miles)
September 2, 2009
Wow, have I ever created an awesome recipe!! If you like a sweet-tart dish, make the dish below and you will be forever
indebted to ME.
Raspberry Custard
1. Scald 3 cups of milk (that means heat the milk just to the point where it would start to boil)
2. Lightly beat 4 eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl just until mixed.
3. Gradually add the milk to the egg mixture.
4. Put 6-8 raspberries into each of 8 custard cups. Pour custard mixture into these cups. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Place the custard cups in a larger baking dish. Surround the cups with very hot water.
6. "Bake in 325 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
7. Call or write me and tell me what you think!!! I take cash, checks, credit cards and babies ( I want a grandbaby!!)
September 1, 2009 (4 miles)
Well, the craziness of dealing with my mother is demonstrated with her latest idea. If you read my previous Thread from
Aug. 25, you saw where my mother was planning to come for a visit. Take this scenario: It takes about five hours to drive
from her house to her beach house in south Alabama. She called the other day saying she wanted to come for a visit. It
takes about 8 hours to drive to our house from hers. Her plan: drive to our house, then leave the next day for the beach
house. By the way, it takes 9 hours to drive to the beach from here. Have you noticed anything wrong here? Drive 8
hours, then 9 hours to get to the same place she could get in FIVE? No amount of reasoning could convince her what a
crazy idea she had. Finally, when we got through to her that our air conditioning was broken and we had no idea when it
was going to be repaired did she decide to meet us at the beach house. (We actually stretched the truth about the air
conditioner not being repaired just so she would NOT do this insane driving.)
It actually turned out beautifully. Tom and I drove down Wednesday, met my sister for a wonderful dinner in Ocean
Springs, and then drove on to the beach. Mother was already there, sleeping peacefully. My sister joined us for the
weekend and a lovely time was had by all. The only bad part is the heavy suntan. I mean, every time I go to the beach
and get a tan, I find I have gained at least two pounds. Isn't the only reasonable explanation that tans are heavy?
August 25, 2009 (3 miles)
Yesterday was a day of indulgence. I always feel so decadent getting my nails done, sitting there, hand stretched out,
being pampered, totally relaxed, ....trying to stay awake. Why does Guilt always try to come for a visit about that time? I
am going to change the locks on my doors.
Today my 90 year old mother is supposed to come for a visit, too. She does not even know the meaning of guilt, at least
when it applies to her. She is pretty good at teaching others about it, however. For example, she called and left a
message the other day. I just happened to be out of town and did not get the message for several days. Wow, by the
time the last message was sent, she was saying things like, "Well, I guess it does not matter how I feel, " and, "It looks
like you just don't care anymore......" Jeez. Lay it on.
August 23, 2009 (6 miles)
I am never looking in a mirror again. O.K., my mistake was turning on the "Miss Universe 2009" contest. Jeez.
Sometimes I wish I could be Samantha on Bewitched (there I go again, giving away my "era") and give each and every
one of those contestants a huge zit on the end of their perfect noses. I should be ashamed, shouldn't I? Well, I am but
just a tinsy winsy bit. I mean, how fair is it that one person gets to look like they do, let alone an entire contest full of
them.....I am going to go eat some ice cream...with chocolate,....and nuts.....
August 22, 2009 (10 miles)
Big mistake, today. I slept in later than usual before taking my practice walk. Live an learn. In case anyone forgot, I live
in the South. Enough said.
On to more interesting things....have any of you seen the show "Shark Tank?" Wow, some of these folks are CRAZY. I
mean, take the guy who invented the safety belt that keeps the car from starting unless you are buckled? Great idea but
he was definitely not thinking when he turned down the $$. Somehow he got it in his head that the investors were
buying his idea so they could then NOT produce it??? Why on earth he thought these guys would be wanting to put all
that money into an idea that they were going to try to place on a shelf in some closet? HELLO, they are in the business of
making money. Major DUH.
August 21, 2009
Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeee. The repair guy did get here yesterday afternoon. It is not difficult to see good stuff, today. First,
the A/C is up and running. Second, the parts AND labor were actually covered under warranty (miracles do happen). Next,
we slept in our bed, in our house, no need to add air. And, finally, my husband is not even the tiniest bit jealous that I
kept hugging the repairmen and telling him I loved him. So, even though it is 6:00 in the morning, I think that I can safely
say, "This is going to be a really good day."
August 20, 2009 (5 miles)
Well, the repairman finally got here, yesterday, but found something else broken so we had to wait, again. Fingers
crossed the part arrives today and we get to sleep in a real bed, tonight. Sorry, but I am heading out to the studio.
August 19, 2009
Arggggh. The compressor arrived. However, it turns out that age takes precedence. If there are babies or old people in
the house, they take priority over everyone else since they are more susceptible to the heat and the A/C folks called to
say we had been "bumped." So, more sweating, more sleeping in the studio. All this time I thought we were old. I know
it is all relative, but it feels good to be "too young" for us to be in the "top priority" category, heh heh. O.K., so I am really
trying to find something good about this situation. I mean, sweating constantly, the potential for a "total amount due" of
really big bucks, sleeping on an air matress, etc...
Did I mention how much I am beginning to hate air mattresses? Ours seems to have sprung a leak and we spent half the
night getting up to add more air. Like I said, really stretching to find the good......
August 18, 2009 (3 miles)
Hmm. It is actually cooler outside the house than inside. I did my short walk today and it was so hot I had perspiration
dripping off my chin. It takes a LOT for me to sweat. The humidity must be 110%. Usually, it is such a relief to open the
door to our house after my walk. Not today, or Saturday, or Sunday. We are waiting on parts.....
August 17, 2009
The repair guy arrived, today. I almost hugged him. Turns out the compressor needs to be replaced so we will be
sleeping in the studio, again.
A good part of this is I am now back to my lampworking. I have not made any new beads in months so this is really fun. It
just might be the only fun part of this arrangement. Gotta go or I will start sweating all over the computer.
August 16, 2009 (6 miles)
What I failed to mention yesterday is that our air conditioner is broken. The repair folks, of course, want a small fortune
to come out on a weekend so we are getting really good at sweating. We do have air conditioning in the studio so I am
outta here. Fingers crossed things will be resolved on Monday. Remember, we are in the SOUTH.
August 15, 2009 (10 miles)
Don't you just love birthdays? You do not even have to be the one with the actual birthday to reap some of the benefits.
I mean, birthday cake, alone, is a treat. We took my girlfriend, Jan, and her husband, Sid, out to dinner last night to
celebrate her birthday and it felt like it could just have easily been my birthday with all of the great company and fantastic
food. Nothing quite like ending the meal with a perfect creme brulee. AHHHH.
However, I knew the birthday celebration was definitely over at 5:15 this morning when my daughter came to wake me for
our walk. Did I mention we finally saw a snake? It was a diamond back rattler and, yes, I was reading when I saw him.
Then, as if that were not exciting enough, I was stung by a wasp today, too. Ouch! I am going to concentrate on good
thoughts for the rest of the day --Think creme brulee, think key lime pie, think chocolate anything.....
August 13, 2009 (5 miles)
I am BA-A-A-A-CK. Wow, it has, indeed, been a long time by anyone's standards since I added to this Thread. I
know that I mentioned earlier that we have been having a lot of computer problems, not the least of which
includes the program that runs this site. Sadly, this problem has not been resolved, so, I am back to using my
husband's computer to do my writing. Anyway, I really have missed writing the Thread more than I would have
guessed.
A lot has happened. For one, I traveled to California for the Long Beach Quilt Festival. The bestest thing --
getting to visit with my wonderful cousins and family. The worst part: getting up at 4:00 in the morning for two
weeks. It is the "getting up" part that is difficult. Once I am up for a few minutes, I am glad I am getting more out
of a day by being up and going so early. It is almost like I am using a coupon for bonus minutes in the day. We
got up that early for several reasons, one, none of us likes driving at night, (o.k., so it is dark at that hour but
somehow morning dark is different than evening dark), we wanted to get out of whatever town we were in before
the rush hour started, and we wanted to get great parking in Long Beach, heh heh.
Another thing that has happened: NEW PRODUCTS. We introduced "Quilt in a Clipboard," "Hooked on a Quilt"
(a coat rack with one hook and another version with three hooks), and a pattern called "Quilt on a Chair." What
amazed me was how much folks liked the Quilt in a Clipboard. Not only did I sell all of the samples, but I sold
nearly every kit I brought. I really thought the coat racks were going to be the best sellers since they are so
practical. Oh well, trying to second guess preferences is always risky. I am just delighted that folks still like what
I am doing!
http://diannespringer.blogspot.com/ for new Threads.
Thanks for checking in on my "whenever" column......
December 28, 2009
This is always a good day for me. It is a celebration of the day that I married my wonderful husband. Yep, our
anniversary, 45 and counting. He makes it so very easy to be married -- to stay married. He is kind, supportive, loving,
generous....spoils me at every level. I actually have a shirt that announces that; it says "SPOILED" on the front of the
shirt. Often when I wear it, someone asks me, "Doesn't that shirt bother you?" My response, "Are you kidding me? I am
proud to be spoiled. I work at it, so does my husband." He also makes me laugh, a lot. He makes me smile, a lot....hmmm,
I think I am going to go put a smile on his face, too. See ya....
December 22, 2009
HoHoHo. I met Santa Claus, today, in person !! It was so delightful.
I had made my list, and checked it twice....unfortunately it was not my Christmas wish list, it was a list of the of errands I
had to accomplish, today. So, with my car packed with gifts to deliver and my wallet not nearly packed enough, I set out.
One of the items on my long long list was purchasing some produce from a local market. So, there I was, arms full of
gorgeous Lousiana oranges, heading back out to get in my car. There was a gentleman looking at my car and grinning.
Silly me, I was pridefully, thinking he was admiring the jazzy car, itself. When I approached him, he smiled and said, "You
must be delivering Christmas presents." I said, "As a matter of fact, I am." He said, "I am too. I am delivering freshly
chopped meat and freshly made sausage." "Wow," I said, " I have been a very good girl, too. Of course, that all depends
on how one defines, 'GOOD," heh heh." We both chuckled and I sat in my car getting ready to drive off when the man
(Santa) waved his hand at me to stop. He reached in his sleigh and got out a package. He came over to my window and
handed me a lovely container of sausage !!" What a surprise. Yes, Dianne, there really is a Santa.
Merry Christmas to all of you.
December 21, 2009
Today would have been my Dad's 88th birthday. Happy Birthday, Daddy, wherever you are. I love you.
December 20, 2009
What excuses can I come up with this time for why I have been so neglectful about this blog? None. I hate excuses.
I am basically done with my Christmas preparations. Think I should share the fact that I pay my daughter to come to the
house and put up the tree and all the decorations? Heh heh, I love it. She is one of my Angels here on Earth. Luckily I am
surrounded by Angels --
In the meantime, I have totally cleaned out my fabric closet. I decided I did not need all of the stash that I had
accumulated. As I went through stacks and stacks of fabric, I kept wondering, "Where did all this come from???" Oh
well. It is all bagged, tagged, and ready to move to someone else's closet. How wonderful to have it where I can actually
see some shelf. My new year's resolution just might be to keep this closet organized, to put a lid on my fabric
purchases.................................oh my, the mailman just arrived.........................heh heh....there is always room for more
Laurel Burch..............
December 8, 2009
Hello, my name is Dianne and I am the person who is supposed to be attending to the business at hand, like this blog.
Either I am trying to set a record for the longest time NOT adding to her blog, or I am in danger of being fired from my
job....oh, wait, I am not being paid for doing this, anyway....in fact, I am the boss....DUH.
I can proudly announce, "We did it." My daughter and I both walked the 3-Day 60 Mile 'Walk. The amazing thing was
that Brandy, even with her sore leg, completed nearly every step. Also, I am delighted to say that for the second time, I
never even had so much as one little blister. Lucky lucky me. The more impressive thing was the number of walkers
who continued with tons of blisters, sore legs, shin splints, bad knees, etc. They are the champions. I have to say that
the most difficult thing for me was trying to sleep on a mattress that lost its air and not having enough blankets so we put
on nearly every stitch of clothing we brought and slept like lovers, cuddling, trying to keep from freezing to death. In
spite of all that, I am thinking of signing up, again. Hmmm, more data for sending me to a looney bin....
One of the things that has kept me busy is completing that Block of the Month quilt. I did it in about two weeks. As I said
earlier, there is a reason that it is called "Block of the MONTH." It was enough to burn me out on quilting for a while.
Good thing I bought a needlepoint canvas at Market, heh heh.
Oh, I finally remembered to put a photo of the new rug I was asked to make for the Roc-Lon corporation. Ta Da.
The size is 7' x 10'
November 16, 2009
My stress level is through the roof. Husband, Tom, left for New Orleans this morning. I am trying to ship, pack, work on a
quilt that was "due" two weeks ago, make desserts for my meeting tonight, etc. all the while trying not to think about
"worse case scenarios" when it comes to our daughter's health. Add to that a major case of GUILT for not even being
there in New Orleans while all of this is coming to a head. Later folks. Have a great week if I do not see you before then.
November 15, 2009 (nada)
Finally back home. I can never understand how one can be so exhausted from just sitting and waiting...and waiting...and
waiting....We actually left Brandy in New Orleans. The doctors had no tests scheduled for the weekend so we decided to
try our best to get some things done before Monday when they are supposed to run additional tests. We tried to check
Brandy out of the hospital for the weekend but it got way too complicated. Fingers crossed that she is released by
Tuesday and gets to go to California with me. Right now we do not even know when the surgery is supposed to happen.
It seems that there is an inverse correlation with the number of folks involved and the amount of information that is
given.
November 8, 2009 (0 miles)
I am thinking, exactly how many miles can I possibly get in between now and the walk???? Probably none. Big Fat Zero.
Tomorrow we leave for New Orleans and the doctor's appointment. Gone until the weekend, then leave for The Walk.
Today was the second of the two day Artists' Studio Tour. I had a great time demonstrating how to make glass beads, but,
again, no time to walk. Now to pack for New Orleans, ship some packages, pack for the San Diego thingie, then the
Thanksgiving trip the day we return from San Diego. Am I babbling? Feels like I am babbling. If I do not return until after
the Holiday, have lots of Turkey, and even more pie, heh heh.
November 6. 2009 (4 miles)
Definitely looks like I am working on another month long hiatus. Believe me, it is not intentional. I am long overdue
learning the meaning of, and USE of the word, "NO." I keep trying to blame someone else, anyone else, for the
predicaments I manage to get myself into.
Check out this situation: A local quilt shop owner asked if I would choose the fabrics for a block of the month quilt. Mind
you, she announced this in front of about 25 women who all said, "Hey, if Dianne is selecting the fabrics, I want to
register." O.M.G, talk about pressure. I am going to need Valium, big time. It is one thing to pick fabrics for your own
quilt, but for 50-60 others?????? Did I say, "NO thank you?" Of course not, remember, I do not know the meaning or use
of that word."
. Now, this is no ordinary quilt. It probably has 50-60 different fabrics and could have more if one chose to do so. The
quilt is fabulous. In fact, I am the one who talked the show owner into purchasing the pattern. What amazes me is why
every shop who sells sewing machines does not use this quilt to teach the owners about different stitches, feet, a
variety of techniques, etc.
Anyway, there was no way the shop had enough variety in her fabrics to make this baby. So, on the spur of the moment, I
headed to Dallas to Moda and P&B fabrics. A few thousand $$$, and two days later, I began making a sample quilt. This
was nearly two weeks ago and I have now gotten about three hours of sleep each night. My goal was to complete the
quilt by this Friday (today) HA HA HA HA. Talk about delusional..... There is a reason this was called a block of the MONTH.
Sigh.
Did I mention that I had agreed to participate in the Artists' Studio Tour which also happens to begin tomorrow morning?
You guessed it, I have done nothing to add to my jewelry or anything else. I headed out to the studio tonight to try my
best to practice beadmaking. My torch has been on the fritz for weeks so add that to my stess list.
Did I mention that our house has decided to spring several leaks with all the torrential rain? and, one of the places that
was affected was the bathroom in the studio? I returned from Market/Festival to major mold all over the ceiling. Of
course, my husband decided to wait until today to repair the ceiling so there is dust and gunk all over the place. .....
Did I mention that we then leave on Monday for New Orleans for my daughter's surgery? We should be gone all week,
returning Sunday so I can host the Pokino group on Monday, home two more days then leave for San Diego and the 60
MIle Breast Cancer Walk, returning on Monday, leaving on Tuesday for our family Thanksgiving, returning
December,...then...well, that pretty much eats up the month of November and somewhere in there I am supposed to finish
remaking two bedspreads my mother bought, make the dust ruffles and matching pillows before heading to the
Feasting? Talk about delusional-- talk about stupid human tricks....David Letterman, book me now.
October 22, 2009 (6 miles)
Hard to believe it has been nearly a month since I added to my Threads. Oh well, We have yet to settle on a date fro
Brandy's surgery. I often wonder what the doctor does when it is someone that they care about who needs attention .
Quilt Market was not what folks expected, that is for sure. The assumption is that shop owners are trying to save some
$$ by having the distributors come to them rather than spend the money on travel and hotels. I can certainly understand
that but it is not good for the rest of us who spent large $$ getting to the show and setting up a booth. Oh well, such is
life. My favorite part of the whole thing is seeing other people's creativity, getting to meet the designers and creators of
so many awesome things, just talking to everyone. We all know how much I hate to talk, heh heh.
Quilt Festival was another thing altogether. It was great. My daughter calls these "Ego Trips," and I concur. How could it
not make your day when so many different folks come to your booth and say, "I love your booth, your products, your
sense of color and design, etc,??" I am definitely not immune to any of that. I love it. Probably the best was the owner of
one of the booths that specializes in African materials who saw me walking around (spending while my son watched the
booth, hee hee) and motioned for me to come to his booth. He said, in the most wonderful accent, "I just love your
booth. It is the best booth in the show, I want to live in your booth. I want the rug you have on the floor. " He was just a
doll. I offered to make a rug for him out of his fabrics and you would have thought I was giving him the moon.
Speaking of my "walking around," just going to the bathroom ends up costing me big bucks. It got to the point that
whenever I told my son I had to go to the bathroom, he would reach into the cash drawer and had me $100 bucks
because no matter what aisle I took, I saw something I "needed" to use in my designs....now if I can just live long enough
to try all of them out, gulp.
September 30, 2009
Finally, we have photos of our daughter's wrecked car. I am posting them and repeating, "We are lucky; we are blessed."
September 29, 2009 (11 miles, sort of...)
Today I wussed out. I got to the 10+ portion of the walk and called my husband for some water. (Bless his heart, he loves
to bring me things as I walk.) He drove to meet me and the Car called out loudly to me, screaming, "Get in. Do not get
out. Go home." I listened.
September 28, 2009
Argh. Went to the dentist today. I hate going to the dentist. Just having them say, "Open your mouth," makes me
cringe. My preference, just behind Never Going To The Dentist, ever, would be drugs! Wake up, take knock-out amounts
of drugs, get driven to the dentist, sleep through everything, and then be driven home -- wake up with a smile and no
memory.
September 27, 2009 (15 miles)
I am definitely old. I mean, whew, poooped. I even took a two hour nap after the walk, today. Jeez, what a geezer.
I have been a busy little girl. Not only am I using up a large portion of my days walking, but I have been working on mini
quilts for months, preparing for several quilt/art shows that run almost back-to-back. Since Thursday I have been
involved with the Jonesboro Heritage Quilt Festival. These small festivals are often my favorites because everyone is
so helpful and and pleasant. Also, this time I had an entire room to display and decorate. What fun. Too bad I am still too
dumb to remember to take pictures!
Perhaps this weekend when I do the Red River Festival I can get my head on straight. In the meantime, I am spending my
"spare" time trying my best to get the rug completed for a canvas company who wanted me to test their cloth. Of this I
will definitely take photos since it will probably be the last time I get to see it. What a ton of work to "give" away and not
even know if they will like the end result.....
September 23, 2009
Still nothing new to report on Brandy's condition. We are apparently going to have to go to New Orleans to see a doctor.
Fingers crossed, prayers said.....
September 22, 2009
Here is the story: I should just say, "Ditto," to my last blog. Talk about things changing with one phone call. We are
reeling in a state of....what, shock?, disbelief? relief? A couple of days after the car accident where the emergency room
doctors did every test they could think of to check for injuries, we received another call. This call was from one of the
doctors who treated Brandy after the accident. He called to say that the complete results of the tests were in and it was
discovered that Brandy has over 90% blockage in one of her arteries. This is totally unrelated to her accident. It
apparently has been going on for quite some time and was never discovered even with all the tests for her liver surgery,
her hysterectomy, her....whatever. Left untreated, as it has been, it is a death sentence. The reason I mentioned "relief"
earlier is that we still have time to do something about this because it was discovered at all. I repeat, miracles do
happen--who would have thought that a car accident could save a life??? Now, we have to get her to a vascular
surgeon. The problem now is no one will treat her because she was not working long enough at her new job for her new
insurance to kick in. What has happened to the doctors who are in it for the humanity aspect? not just for the money?
September 21, 2009 (10 miles)
Cannot even talk. Too worried to write. Perhaps tomorrow....
September 20, 2009 (14 miles)
Just proud to say I made it. I am pooped.
September 17, 2009 (5 miles)
Whew. Lives can change with the speed of only one phone call. Around 5:00 yesterday evening we received a call
letting us know that our daughter, Brandy, had been in a car accident and was in the emergency room in Minden. Yet,
again, she proves that miracles happen and some folks are granted 9 lives. She is down several of those, definitely one
was added to the "used" column after this incident. The doctor kept running tests, an MRI, CAT scans, X-Rays, etc. She
had seen a photo of the car and just simply could not believe that anyone could have survived the impact let alone have
survived it without major problems. The car Brandy was driving was rear-ended by a truck to the extent that the rear of
her car was forced into the front of the car with part of it wrapping around the driver's side of the vehicle. She had on a
seat belt and was still thrown into the passenger side of the car, tennis shoes torn off her feet. She was knocked out for
several minutes and came to only to see the driver of the other car lighting up a cigarette. She screamed at him to put
the cigarette out because there could be gas fumes. It seems pretty obvious that this guy was not running on all
cylinders! She is lucky, we are lucky. Brandy received only soreness and bruises. More evidence, Miracles do happen.
Whew.......
September 15, 2009 (4 miles)
I am a good girl. Today it was misty and I still did my walk. O.K., so I did it out of guilt
because I did not walk the nine mile one on Sunday. I just could not handle two days
of guilt. Should I mention that I was also trying to undo the damage of my dinner from
the night before???
Last night for my birthday dinner, my husband had plans to take me to some fancy
restaurant. I changed those plans. I asked for a hamburger with bleu cheese. He
had to call all over town to find someone who made those. Success was ours. We
had a huge hamburger loaded with cheese on a jalapeno bun and it was joined by
some wonderful sweet potato chips. Of course, I burped all night long from
indigestion but that is why God gave us Alka Seltzer ! Bring on the bread pudding.....
Oh, here is the picture of the winner of the Quilt Raffle. TADA.
September 14, 2009
Congratulations to Candace Bartmess of West Monroe, LA. She is the winner of the drawing for the "Very Pink" quilt.
She told us that she had lost a grandmother and an aunt to breast cancer so she was very grateful that she not only had
won the quilt in honor of her loved ones but was pleased that she was able to help.
I want to thank not only Candace but all the other wonderful folks out there who helped us reach our goal. Without your
kindness and generosity we would never have completed this phase of our "project." We are appreciative of every
penny that you guys gave. Now, pray for our feet. We have lots and lots more walking to do before the big event the
weekend of November 20.
By the way, today is my Birthday!! I told my husband that I feel like a banana. It takes so long to get to the ripe stage, the
perfect time to enjoy, then, boom, in only a very short time, it is too ripe, age spots and squishy flesh......hmmmm. Think I
should change my name to Chiquita?
September 13, 2009 (oops, a few too many clouds -- skipped the walk)
O.K. so I am a wuss. I did not do the 9 mile walk that was scheduled for today. The only way I am going to walk in the rain
is during the actual event, itself. Otherwise, I am in the studio having fun. Hopefully you are doing something on your
weekend that brings a smile, too.\
Tomorrow we go down to the local newspaper office for the drawing of the winner of my quilt. Good luck all of you
wonderful folks who helped us reach our personal goal as well as helping bring us all closer to the goal of beating
cancer!
September 12, 2009 (13 miles)
Amazing what things thrill me these days. Take today for instance--it was a cloudy day. When a person is walking for
three and a half hours, it is a big deal when there are clouds to block the sun. And, yes, I was definitely thrilled.
The rest of our day was same ol' same 'ol, except for the fact that our son was in from Houston and we went to dinner at a
terrific new Bistro here in town to celebrate our birthdays. Yummy.
September 11, 2009
This is always a day tinged with sadness and reflection. It will be that way for many years to come.
Luckily for me, it turned into a lovely day. Not only did we get some much needed rain, but my friend, Jan, invited me to
go with her to Monroe to have a birthday lunch for MOI. It is not actually my birthday until Monday, the 14th, but it
definitely does not hurt my feelings any to start the celebration early. At this age it helps to stretch out the good parts for
as long as possible. My son, Chris, is driving in from Houston for a late celebration of his birthday, and an early
celebration of mine. From the beginning I have considered him my own personal birthday present. He was "unwrapped"
just 6 days before my birthday and is very likely the only time my husband gave me my present early. Doll that my
husband is, he usually does his shopping and giving at the last second. To think that little gift just grew and turned into
this wonderful young man. Some gifts are hard to top.
September 10, 2009 (5 miles)
Warning: Time for one of those snooze reports. Boring days, boring nights. For "normal" folks, my life is probably too
smushed up with too many things to do in too little time. Unfortunately, for me, that is normal. Once I read that there are
folks who believe that if a person stayed busy and had a lot of projects going, they would never die because there were
too many projects that needed to be completed. Based on that theory, I will outlive Methuselah.
I am actually back to my plan where I need to invent a longer day. It has to be that or give up sleeping altogether.... Of
course, this is probably not a problem for anyone reading this Thread, today, as you are probably already asleep.
September 8, 2009 HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY DEAR SWEET CHRIS.
I LOVE YOU AND HOPE YOU HAVE MANY
MANY MORE WONDERFUL YEARS TO CELEBRATE
September 6, 2009 (7 mile)
Got a little smarter; started a little bit earlier. Therefore, the walk was not only shorter, it was much more pleasant than
yesterday with its cooler morning temperature. Can anyone be looking forward to cooler weather more than my daughter
and I are? One would think that I would be losing weight just in sweat, alone. HA. Not happening.
Guess I had better go make more samples for Festival. Houston is quickly rearing its head. Of course, par for the
course, I stopped and worked on the least important project that I had, the comforters for Mother's beach house. Dumb.
They sure are cute, though....
Have a safe and fun Labor Day tomorrow.
September 5, 2009 (12 miles)
Too hot and too exhausted to add more than, "What was I thinking!!!!!????
September 4, 2009
Today was Pfaff Club. I was rushing to get there on time, which for me means no more than 15 minutes after it starts. So,
by my definition I was right on time. To my surprise I was waaay early, like a day early. Luckily the Friday group invited me
to stay so it was definitely not a wasted trip. To my delight, those wonderful ladies also added to our fundraising efforts
and I am delighted to say: GREAT news -- my daughter and I have met our goal for the Breast Cancer 3-Day. Louise
Adams of The Fabric Shop really tipped the scale with a very generous donation on behalf of her sister who,
unfortunately, has become one of the reasons we walk. Please say a little prayer for her and all the others who are
battling this monster.
September 3, 2009 (5 miles)
September 2, 2009
Wow, have I ever created an awesome recipe!! If you like a sweet-tart dish, make the dish below and you will be forever
indebted to ME.
Raspberry Custard
1. Scald 3 cups of milk (that means heat the milk just to the point where it would start to boil)
2. Lightly beat 4 eggs, 1/3 cup sugar, 1 Tablespoon vanilla, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl just until mixed.
3. Gradually add the milk to the egg mixture.
4. Put 6-8 raspberries into each of 8 custard cups. Pour custard mixture into these cups. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
5. Place the custard cups in a larger baking dish. Surround the cups with very hot water.
6. "Bake in 325 degree oven for 30-35 minutes.
7. Call or write me and tell me what you think!!! I take cash, checks, credit cards and babies ( I want a grandbaby!!)
September 1, 2009 (4 miles)
Well, the craziness of dealing with my mother is demonstrated with her latest idea. If you read my previous Thread from
Aug. 25, you saw where my mother was planning to come for a visit. Take this scenario: It takes about five hours to drive
from her house to her beach house in south Alabama. She called the other day saying she wanted to come for a visit. It
takes about 8 hours to drive to our house from hers. Her plan: drive to our house, then leave the next day for the beach
house. By the way, it takes 9 hours to drive to the beach from here. Have you noticed anything wrong here? Drive 8
hours, then 9 hours to get to the same place she could get in FIVE? No amount of reasoning could convince her what a
crazy idea she had. Finally, when we got through to her that our air conditioning was broken and we had no idea when it
was going to be repaired did she decide to meet us at the beach house. (We actually stretched the truth about the air
conditioner not being repaired just so she would NOT do this insane driving.)
It actually turned out beautifully. Tom and I drove down Wednesday, met my sister for a wonderful dinner in Ocean
Springs, and then drove on to the beach. Mother was already there, sleeping peacefully. My sister joined us for the
weekend and a lovely time was had by all. The only bad part is the heavy suntan. I mean, every time I go to the beach
and get a tan, I find I have gained at least two pounds. Isn't the only reasonable explanation that tans are heavy?
August 25, 2009 (3 miles)
Yesterday was a day of indulgence. I always feel so decadent getting my nails done, sitting there, hand stretched out,
being pampered, totally relaxed, ....trying to stay awake. Why does Guilt always try to come for a visit about that time? I
am going to change the locks on my doors.
Today my 90 year old mother is supposed to come for a visit, too. She does not even know the meaning of guilt, at least
when it applies to her. She is pretty good at teaching others about it, however. For example, she called and left a
message the other day. I just happened to be out of town and did not get the message for several days. Wow, by the
time the last message was sent, she was saying things like, "Well, I guess it does not matter how I feel, " and, "It looks
like you just don't care anymore......" Jeez. Lay it on.
August 23, 2009 (6 miles)
I am never looking in a mirror again. O.K., my mistake was turning on the "Miss Universe 2009" contest. Jeez.
Sometimes I wish I could be Samantha on Bewitched (there I go again, giving away my "era") and give each and every
one of those contestants a huge zit on the end of their perfect noses. I should be ashamed, shouldn't I? Well, I am but
just a tinsy winsy bit. I mean, how fair is it that one person gets to look like they do, let alone an entire contest full of
them.....I am going to go eat some ice cream...with chocolate,....and nuts.....
August 22, 2009 (10 miles)
Big mistake, today. I slept in later than usual before taking my practice walk. Live an learn. In case anyone forgot, I live
in the South. Enough said.
On to more interesting things....have any of you seen the show "Shark Tank?" Wow, some of these folks are CRAZY. I
mean, take the guy who invented the safety belt that keeps the car from starting unless you are buckled? Great idea but
he was definitely not thinking when he turned down the $$. Somehow he got it in his head that the investors were
buying his idea so they could then NOT produce it??? Why on earth he thought these guys would be wanting to put all
that money into an idea that they were going to try to place on a shelf in some closet? HELLO, they are in the business of
making money. Major DUH.
August 21, 2009
Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeee. The repair guy did get here yesterday afternoon. It is not difficult to see good stuff, today. First,
the A/C is up and running. Second, the parts AND labor were actually covered under warranty (miracles do happen). Next,
we slept in our bed, in our house, no need to add air. And, finally, my husband is not even the tiniest bit jealous that I
kept hugging the repairmen and telling him I loved him. So, even though it is 6:00 in the morning, I think that I can safely
say, "This is going to be a really good day."
August 20, 2009 (5 miles)
Well, the repairman finally got here, yesterday, but found something else broken so we had to wait, again. Fingers
crossed the part arrives today and we get to sleep in a real bed, tonight. Sorry, but I am heading out to the studio.
August 19, 2009
Arggggh. The compressor arrived. However, it turns out that age takes precedence. If there are babies or old people in
the house, they take priority over everyone else since they are more susceptible to the heat and the A/C folks called to
say we had been "bumped." So, more sweating, more sleeping in the studio. All this time I thought we were old. I know
it is all relative, but it feels good to be "too young" for us to be in the "top priority" category, heh heh. O.K., so I am really
trying to find something good about this situation. I mean, sweating constantly, the potential for a "total amount due" of
really big bucks, sleeping on an air matress, etc...
Did I mention how much I am beginning to hate air mattresses? Ours seems to have sprung a leak and we spent half the
night getting up to add more air. Like I said, really stretching to find the good......
August 18, 2009 (3 miles)
Hmm. It is actually cooler outside the house than inside. I did my short walk today and it was so hot I had perspiration
dripping off my chin. It takes a LOT for me to sweat. The humidity must be 110%. Usually, it is such a relief to open the
door to our house after my walk. Not today, or Saturday, or Sunday. We are waiting on parts.....
August 17, 2009
The repair guy arrived, today. I almost hugged him. Turns out the compressor needs to be replaced so we will be
sleeping in the studio, again.
A good part of this is I am now back to my lampworking. I have not made any new beads in months so this is really fun. It
just might be the only fun part of this arrangement. Gotta go or I will start sweating all over the computer.
August 16, 2009 (6 miles)
What I failed to mention yesterday is that our air conditioner is broken. The repair folks, of course, want a small fortune
to come out on a weekend so we are getting really good at sweating. We do have air conditioning in the studio so I am
outta here. Fingers crossed things will be resolved on Monday. Remember, we are in the SOUTH.
August 15, 2009 (10 miles)
Don't you just love birthdays? You do not even have to be the one with the actual birthday to reap some of the benefits.
I mean, birthday cake, alone, is a treat. We took my girlfriend, Jan, and her husband, Sid, out to dinner last night to
celebrate her birthday and it felt like it could just have easily been my birthday with all of the great company and fantastic
food. Nothing quite like ending the meal with a perfect creme brulee. AHHHH.
However, I knew the birthday celebration was definitely over at 5:15 this morning when my daughter came to wake me for
our walk. Did I mention we finally saw a snake? It was a diamond back rattler and, yes, I was reading when I saw him.
Then, as if that were not exciting enough, I was stung by a wasp today, too. Ouch! I am going to concentrate on good
thoughts for the rest of the day --Think creme brulee, think key lime pie, think chocolate anything.....
August 13, 2009 (5 miles)
I am BA-A-A-A-CK. Wow, it has, indeed, been a long time by anyone's standards since I added to this Thread. I
know that I mentioned earlier that we have been having a lot of computer problems, not the least of which
includes the program that runs this site. Sadly, this problem has not been resolved, so, I am back to using my
husband's computer to do my writing. Anyway, I really have missed writing the Thread more than I would have
guessed.
A lot has happened. For one, I traveled to California for the Long Beach Quilt Festival. The bestest thing --
getting to visit with my wonderful cousins and family. The worst part: getting up at 4:00 in the morning for two
weeks. It is the "getting up" part that is difficult. Once I am up for a few minutes, I am glad I am getting more out
of a day by being up and going so early. It is almost like I am using a coupon for bonus minutes in the day. We
got up that early for several reasons, one, none of us likes driving at night, (o.k., so it is dark at that hour but
somehow morning dark is different than evening dark), we wanted to get out of whatever town we were in before
the rush hour started, and we wanted to get great parking in Long Beach, heh heh.
Another thing that has happened: NEW PRODUCTS. We introduced "Quilt in a Clipboard," "Hooked on a Quilt"
(a coat rack with one hook and another version with three hooks), and a pattern called "Quilt on a Chair." What
amazed me was how much folks liked the Quilt in a Clipboard. Not only did I sell all of the samples, but I sold
nearly every kit I brought. I really thought the coat racks were going to be the best sellers since they are so
practical. Oh well, trying to second guess preferences is always risky. I am just delighted that folks still like what
I am doing!
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