When I first got a cell phone, I didn't want anything fancy. I had a camera, MP3 player didn't exist, nor was there an integrated phone and Palm/Handspring, and I don't talk excessively on the phone. I just wanted something for emergencies (and I no longer had my pager...I believe it suicided into a toilet). So I got the cheapest, most basic phone they had. I was happy.
Years later, when I received a free upgrade, there was not enough in our budget to get a phone, for me, with all those technologies, so I got the basic one again. Still not a problem, as my average talk time on the mobile each month is 5 hour.
Now, I still hardly talk on the phone, and still have a Palm. However, after upgrading my home computer, I couldn't sync the Palm, which would be a problem if I didn't have important numbers there and no place else. So hubby and I talked, and after we saved up, I now have a new toy phone.
It’s a Blackberry 8330 (yes I looked at the Palm Treos, but hubby has one, and we won’t go through having the same phone again). After playing in a couple of stores (we were considering changing carriers too), my first choice was the BB Storm, but that was certainly out of our budget (I loved the touch screen). My second choice was the BB 8330 and the LG Dare, depending on which carrier we went with.
I seem to discover something new to do on the phone everyday, and can easily see myself putting off doing other thing in order to play. For example, I can’t have outside instant messaging on my work computer, but my phone does! And, ooooooo, I can update my blog while hubby is driving. That may be a major bonus if it cuts down on me cringing at how close he is to another car.
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Happy New Year!!
The past six months have been so hectic, I don't know where to start to cover it at. While I avoid discussing work in detail, I will admit to taking a class for ITIL Foundations and passing the certification test. I've tried the self-paced training for this before, to no availe, so hubby and I saved up so I could take the class from a group who is good at training for it (thank you Pink Elephant!). So now that done, and will hopefully add a bonus to my status at work. (The company I work for recently merged with/was bought out by another company and I'm feeling the need to keep myself marketable.)
On the home front, things are smoothing out. Three (or four) months back, hubby was able to find a "9-5" job. With the housing market bottoming out, he just wasn't pulling in enough for cover basic bills (combined with my income). We do not live outside our means (haven't done that in over 6 years) and it was really stressing me out to borrow money from my parents just to buy the kids one birthday gift, all the while getting further behind on our regular bills. The stress got to me so badly, that I ended up in physical therapy for the tense neck and sholder muscles (which put us further in debt...typical pattern, yes?), heck strong doses of muscle relaxers and pain killers weren't relaxing the muscles. That's when hubby annouced that he was going to pick up steady temp work. This is something I know he hated to do; he loves his business. But he (very) quickley found a month long contract being the IT deparment for a small company.
It turns out they loved him and after two weeks, offered him a permanent full time position. So now, he runs IT for them, reporting to the VP ans President of the company. He is severly under-paid for his job (have I mentioned he ~IS~ the IT department for 100-150 people?), but since he creates the budget for his department, he's factored in raises and paid training for the next year.
As cool as this ended up being, it still ate at me that he had to stop doing what he loved, even though no money was being made, just to make money. We worked long and hard to get him doing what he loves, and it was going to be my turn next to figurre out what i wanted to be "when I grow up". BUT, it turns out he loves it! Right before Christmas, out of no-where he said to me, "I love that I get paid to play!"
Big stress relief! So now he has two 'jobs' he loves to do, and one of them has a steady paycheck.
On the homefront, my stress has put a big dent in working on my own hobby. I find I can only stitch an hour or two a week (instead of the ten I use to do), and play time on the computer is even more limited.
I was, however, able to get one last thing completed in 2008 (finished it on Dec 27). Here it is, hubby's requested bookmark; "Renaissance Bookmark" by Teresa Wentzler.
I did the pattern on 28c Country French Chantilly and used the recomended threads (DMC and Kreinik). It is Finished with a buttonhole edge using DMC thread that matched the material. It took approximitley 39 hours to complete (10 of that was the buttonhole stitch...I should have went with the blanket stitch, but then maybe it wouldn't look so great). There is nothing on th back of it, but I've told hubby to let me know that if the threads on the back keep catching on things or if it's not stiff enough for him, I'll iron on some fusing. I barely had time to get a picture of it before he put it into use.
On the stashing front, I'm still in "diet"-mode. However this was made much easier when hubby signed me up for Vikki Clayton's Floss of the Monthfor a Christmas present! Now for the next year I'll be getting some wonderful floss and it will help keep the edge off wanting to impulse buy.
Also, since the Stash-to-Go blog has slowed down alot, I'm thinking I need to start giving things away. Where for it to go....
A happy New Year to all and I'll leave you with a picture of the antics of The Teen.
That's a candle she put on top of one of my statues.
On the home front, things are smoothing out. Three (or four) months back, hubby was able to find a "9-5" job. With the housing market bottoming out, he just wasn't pulling in enough for cover basic bills (combined with my income). We do not live outside our means (haven't done that in over 6 years) and it was really stressing me out to borrow money from my parents just to buy the kids one birthday gift, all the while getting further behind on our regular bills. The stress got to me so badly, that I ended up in physical therapy for the tense neck and sholder muscles (which put us further in debt...typical pattern, yes?), heck strong doses of muscle relaxers and pain killers weren't relaxing the muscles. That's when hubby annouced that he was going to pick up steady temp work. This is something I know he hated to do; he loves his business. But he (very) quickley found a month long contract being the IT deparment for a small company.
It turns out they loved him and after two weeks, offered him a permanent full time position. So now, he runs IT for them, reporting to the VP ans President of the company. He is severly under-paid for his job (have I mentioned he ~IS~ the IT department for 100-150 people?), but since he creates the budget for his department, he's factored in raises and paid training for the next year.
As cool as this ended up being, it still ate at me that he had to stop doing what he loved, even though no money was being made, just to make money. We worked long and hard to get him doing what he loves, and it was going to be my turn next to figurre out what i wanted to be "when I grow up". BUT, it turns out he loves it! Right before Christmas, out of no-where he said to me, "I love that I get paid to play!"
Big stress relief! So now he has two 'jobs' he loves to do, and one of them has a steady paycheck.
On the homefront, my stress has put a big dent in working on my own hobby. I find I can only stitch an hour or two a week (instead of the ten I use to do), and play time on the computer is even more limited.
I was, however, able to get one last thing completed in 2008 (finished it on Dec 27). Here it is, hubby's requested bookmark; "Renaissance Bookmark" by Teresa Wentzler.
I did the pattern on 28c Country French Chantilly and used the recomended threads (DMC and Kreinik). It is Finished with a buttonhole edge using DMC thread that matched the material. It took approximitley 39 hours to complete (10 of that was the buttonhole stitch...I should have went with the blanket stitch, but then maybe it wouldn't look so great). There is nothing on th back of it, but I've told hubby to let me know that if the threads on the back keep catching on things or if it's not stiff enough for him, I'll iron on some fusing. I barely had time to get a picture of it before he put it into use.
On the stashing front, I'm still in "diet"-mode. However this was made much easier when hubby signed me up for Vikki Clayton's Floss of the Monthfor a Christmas present! Now for the next year I'll be getting some wonderful floss and it will help keep the edge off wanting to impulse buy.
Also, since the Stash-to-Go blog has slowed down alot, I'm thinking I need to start giving things away. Where for it to go....
A happy New Year to all and I'll leave you with a picture of the antics of The Teen.
That's a candle she put on top of one of my statues.
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
WIP Updates and Finishes
I'm averaging, what, 3 months per update? The camera's memory card has been found and here are some pictures. First up, the two finishes...
"Winter's Grazing" by Lois Winston
From The Cross Stitcher, Feb. 2007. On 16ct Grey Aida, using DMC threads. Approx 93 hours to complete.
wXSw (Wonderful XS World) mystery SAL, created by Helga Mandl Designs and Barbara Ana Designs
On 14c Oatmeal Aida, with DMC threads (comparable Light Effects threads substituted for white, 334, and 818). Approx 66 hours.
And the WIP updates...
The Tree Skirt as of Sept. 19:
"An October Box" as of Oct. 11:
The younger terror's blanket as of Nov. 24:
DH's bookmark as of Aug.5 :
BoINK as of Aug. 30:
"Winter's Grazing" by Lois Winston
From The Cross Stitcher, Feb. 2007. On 16ct Grey Aida, using DMC threads. Approx 93 hours to complete.
wXSw (Wonderful XS World) mystery SAL, created by Helga Mandl Designs and Barbara Ana Designs
On 14c Oatmeal Aida, with DMC threads (comparable Light Effects threads substituted for white, 334, and 818). Approx 66 hours.
And the WIP updates...
The Tree Skirt as of Sept. 19:
"An October Box" as of Oct. 11:
The younger terror's blanket as of Nov. 24:
DH's bookmark as of Aug.5 :
BoINK as of Aug. 30:
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Hurricane Ike - Back to the "Civilization", Pt. 1
We survived Hurricane Ike with no major losses. We just got power back last night, so I'm catching up with bills and replenishing the groceries. I'll get an update on the past week as soon as I find the time.
Tuesday, September 02, 2008
The Best Laid Plans...
That's 2 Hurricanes/TS's down...how many to go?
Thanks to being prepared, once again we are getting squat from the storm. Which is perfectly fine with me.
Hubby finished fixing my dryer and I went on a laundry rampage; got a weeks worth of laundry done in one day. Woohoo!!! No need to worry about until later in the week now. Since I'm still getting used to the schedule, my guess is I'll spend that extra time catching up on sleep and/or reading.
I just finished reading "The Snow Queen" by Mercedes Lackey. Good upbeat fantacy story, even if it was predicatable, thanks to the fairy tale premise.
Now I'm in the middle of reading "Dreamsong II" by George R. R. Martin, and found a couple more books, that he had a hand in, which I'll need to add to my To-Read list.
It's the beginning of the month , so back to the monthly reports.
Thanks to being prepared, once again we are getting squat from the storm. Which is perfectly fine with me.
Hubby finished fixing my dryer and I went on a laundry rampage; got a weeks worth of laundry done in one day. Woohoo!!! No need to worry about until later in the week now. Since I'm still getting used to the schedule, my guess is I'll spend that extra time catching up on sleep and/or reading.
I just finished reading "The Snow Queen" by Mercedes Lackey. Good upbeat fantacy story, even if it was predicatable, thanks to the fairy tale premise.
Now I'm in the middle of reading "Dreamsong II" by George R. R. Martin, and found a couple more books, that he had a hand in, which I'll need to add to my To-Read list.
It's the beginning of the month , so back to the monthly reports.
Monday, August 04, 2008
Tropical Storm Edouard
Now that my broadband provider finally got my network up and running again, hopefully (it's been up and down since Saturday), I find out there is a tropical storm making a bee-line for Houston.
No worries, my friends, I will be offline for the next couple of days preparing for the storm (today) and weathering it. Don't expect to hear from me until Wednesday at the earliest.
No worries, my friends, I will be offline for the next couple of days preparing for the storm (today) and weathering it. Don't expect to hear from me until Wednesday at the earliest.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Way past my bedtime
OMG...I am so tired!
As many may (or may not) know, the newest book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer was released at midnight last night. Bookstores everywhere had releaseparties, and my daughter convinced me to let her go, and to top it off, I volunteered to chaperone her and her friends.
What was I thinking! No chairs to sit in while I waited, massively over-crowded...well, hello clautophobia, how are we this evening.
Actually, other than the teenage girl screaming (cough, and some teenage boy screaming...really, it happened) and the press of bodies, it wasn't too bad. I only had to leave the store once because of my clautrophobia, and once I knew there was a quick and easy way out of the store, it didn;t rear it's ugly head again. Also, I have to say, Barnes & Noble had their act together. Once midnight hit (wish I had ear plugs for that count down), the line moved very fast; we were out the door with the book in about 30 minutes. In addition to getting "Breaking Dawn" for my daughter, I was able to pick up "The Host" for me; both hardback copies for about $30 total (Hello sale! and Love you Membership card!).
I got home around 1:30 AM. Which wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't woken up at 8 this morning! Really, I NEED 10 hours a night to fuction properly. Oh well, I should sleep great tonight! House cleaning, here I come...
As many may (or may not) know, the newest book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer was released at midnight last night. Bookstores everywhere had releaseparties, and my daughter convinced me to let her go, and to top it off, I volunteered to chaperone her and her friends.
What was I thinking! No chairs to sit in while I waited, massively over-crowded...well, hello clautophobia, how are we this evening.
Actually, other than the teenage girl screaming (cough, and some teenage boy screaming...really, it happened) and the press of bodies, it wasn't too bad. I only had to leave the store once because of my clautrophobia, and once I knew there was a quick and easy way out of the store, it didn;t rear it's ugly head again. Also, I have to say, Barnes & Noble had their act together. Once midnight hit (wish I had ear plugs for that count down), the line moved very fast; we were out the door with the book in about 30 minutes. In addition to getting "Breaking Dawn" for my daughter, I was able to pick up "The Host" for me; both hardback copies for about $30 total (Hello sale! and Love you Membership card!).
I got home around 1:30 AM. Which wouldn't be so bad if I hadn't woken up at 8 this morning! Really, I NEED 10 hours a night to fuction properly. Oh well, I should sleep great tonight! House cleaning, here I come...
Thursday, July 03, 2008
How to Change Colors in a Cross Stitch Pattern
Paula of Paula's Needlework Addiction wrote a great explanation of how to change color in a pattern. She mentions using the DMC Color Card for help, when you are missing a color in your collection. I'd like to add that I find mine indispensable, and you'll want the card with floss swatches and not the one you print out.
These are fairly easy to find at various online shops for around $10. Just Google "DMC color card". Also you can check with your LNS to see if they have any in stock. You won't need the most up-to-date card with the "new" color variations, etc., just the one with the regular DMC line, so you might be able to find a really cheap one on EBay.
These are fairly easy to find at various online shops for around $10. Just Google "DMC color card". Also you can check with your LNS to see if they have any in stock. You won't need the most up-to-date card with the "new" color variations, etc., just the one with the regular DMC line, so you might be able to find a really cheap one on EBay.
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Slowly Getting Back to Speed
Not a lot of stitching has been happening over the past month thanks to both the PC crash and some massive knots in my upper back and neck. Give ya' three guesses where I store my stress!
BUT...I got the camera software loaded and pictures taken!
First up is "Book of Ink Circles" (BoINK):
I am loving this one! I put in about 30 hours on it before I got 'sick' of it. Then after 2 hours into the next project, I wanted to pick it back up again!
I'm up to 200 hours on the "Winter White Tree Skirt":
And "Winter's Grazing" is still almost done:
I'm thinking about 20 - 30 more hours to complete it.
I've also restarted the Project Challenge. My goal is 15 or more project finishes before I splurge buy again. I had to take advantage of Cross My Heart Inc, going out of business sale. I have the "Earth Dragon" and wanted the other three elemental dragons before they became impossible to find. The good news, however, is I used the money I made off of the stash I have been selling to buy them. Bonus is that it makes hubby happy too. (He like when I buy for myself on occasion, but knows how our finances have been lately.)
On that note, hubby has picked up a full time job to supplement our income. For those who did not know, he is a real estate investor, and his income was affected by the housing crash. He had to change strategies (yeah, commercial property), however commercial property has a longer turn over rate (at least in regards to money coming in to feed and cloth the kids). So now my poor man is working 120 hours a week.
Now about this year's swimsuits. After two stores and 20+ different suits, I've found that manufacturers think everyone is an 'A' cup (including plus size women) and we want to cover the nipple only. Seriously, I get better support and coverage by going topless! On the up side, I got a new pair of shorts and they are a 10! (Yes folks, that's down from an 18 at the beginning of last year.)
Anyone know of any stores that sell swimsuits that have coverage and support? I'm talking 'XL' top (think D-cup)and 'L' bottom. I don't mind showing off cleavage. Just not down to my navel. Oh, and no bikinis, please. Trust me, no one wants to see these stretch marks.
BUT...I got the camera software loaded and pictures taken!
First up is "Book of Ink Circles" (BoINK):
I am loving this one! I put in about 30 hours on it before I got 'sick' of it. Then after 2 hours into the next project, I wanted to pick it back up again!
I'm up to 200 hours on the "Winter White Tree Skirt":
And "Winter's Grazing" is still almost done:
I'm thinking about 20 - 30 more hours to complete it.
I've also restarted the Project Challenge. My goal is 15 or more project finishes before I splurge buy again. I had to take advantage of Cross My Heart Inc, going out of business sale. I have the "Earth Dragon" and wanted the other three elemental dragons before they became impossible to find. The good news, however, is I used the money I made off of the stash I have been selling to buy them. Bonus is that it makes hubby happy too. (He like when I buy for myself on occasion, but knows how our finances have been lately.)
On that note, hubby has picked up a full time job to supplement our income. For those who did not know, he is a real estate investor, and his income was affected by the housing crash. He had to change strategies (yeah, commercial property), however commercial property has a longer turn over rate (at least in regards to money coming in to feed and cloth the kids). So now my poor man is working 120 hours a week.
Now about this year's swimsuits. After two stores and 20+ different suits, I've found that manufacturers think everyone is an 'A' cup (including plus size women) and we want to cover the nipple only. Seriously, I get better support and coverage by going topless! On the up side, I got a new pair of shorts and they are a 10! (Yes folks, that's down from an 18 at the beginning of last year.)
Anyone know of any stores that sell swimsuits that have coverage and support? I'm talking 'XL' top (think D-cup)and 'L' bottom. I don't mind showing off cleavage. Just not down to my navel. Oh, and no bikinis, please. Trust me, no one wants to see these stretch marks.
Thursday, June 05, 2008
The Good News!
In some freak coincidence, it turns out I have not lost several things that were going to take a long time in recreating. I had saved a coupe of things on a memory stick so I could work on them, on a laptop, while I watched TV. So the list of what I have:
As for The Gift of Stitching, it turns out I had not moved this year's issues from my work computer to my home yet, so yeah! Also Kristen has contacted me about replacing the ones I have lost (2006 and 2007) at a discount. Kristen, consider yourself hugged...like a bear.
All the critical software is loaded, bills have been payed, and I will load miscellaneous software as I need it, so I am up and running 75%.
Thank you everyone for you well wishes!!
- My stitching To-Do list - this will make it a little easier tracking down the freebie patterns I really want.
- A pattern catalog of all the cross stitch magazines I have (this was the big one I was dreading recreating), now I just have to add the magazine itself into the stash software.
- List of everything on my Stash to Go Blog (along with the list of everyone who has bought from me).
- My resume - I even have the latest copy of it, so I won't have to track down my old, not updated for 5 years, hard copy, which is somewhere in the house...I think?
- Some web links - unfortunately no cross stitch links, but I think i have most of those memorized anyway (GRIN)
As for The Gift of Stitching, it turns out I had not moved this year's issues from my work computer to my home yet, so yeah! Also Kristen has contacted me about replacing the ones I have lost (2006 and 2007) at a discount. Kristen, consider yourself hugged...like a bear.
All the critical software is loaded, bills have been payed, and I will load miscellaneous software as I need it, so I am up and running 75%.
Thank you everyone for you well wishes!!
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