My DIY show

Rachel's curtains are hung

I've decided that since I do such a wonderful job of "whipping up" projects that I should start a show. You know, like the ones you see on TV of people sewing, crafting, woodworking, etc. My show would be a conglomerate of different projects and it would look something like this. [which by the way was my Tuesday night]

Start sewing your curtains at 4 in the afternoon after a good nap. It's important to be well rested when working with machinery. I had all the fabric precut so all that was left to do on the project was hem three sides and put in the top sleeve for the curtain rod. Since I had two curtains it was double the work, but very easy to accomplish in 1 night. I laid out the blackout fabric on the floor and covered it with the fabric making sure that each piece was facing the correct way. Then I measured the sides lengthwise and pinned like mad so the fabric wouldn't slip. Make sure that after you pin both sides you hold it up to see if it hangs properly. Looks like I didn't pull the blackout fabric tight enough, so I would recommend laying your fabric down first and then putting the blackout fabric on top. Now that all is pinned in place, make sure the setting on your machine is correct because tearing out stitches in the blackout fabric is a nightmare. As you are about two inches from the end of the stitch your needle will break. This will cause a slight delay because you have to put in a new needle, rethread the machine and make sure you have all the pieces. While you are at it you might as well check the bobbin holder and make sure the tip isn't visible. This will require a screwdriver and some patience. When you're finished with the sides of both curtains then sew the top. I folded the edge down a little and then made my whole for the curtain rod. Make sure that after it is pinned, but before you sew you check to make sure the curtain rod goes through. Oh yes, while you're doing this you might realize that because you bought an oval curtain rod you will need a screwdriver, measuring tape, and some time just to hang the rod. So please, read all instructions carefully before hanging. Now that you have the tops complete you may hem the bottom of the curtain. I recommend holding the curtain in front of the window to see how much of a hem should be made. This might be less then previously thought, but don't be concerned; just monitor and adjust. Excellent, now one curtain is complete. Let's move on to the next one. One problem, the thread has just broke and you've discovered that the needle is cracked. Simple fix; there are 3 more needles in the case that are brand new. Except, upon closer examination you notice that all the needles have a slight slip alongside the eye hole. Well, it's 9 PM and you can continue tomorrow. I now realize that is not just a 30 min. show, but don't worry we can continue all week.

Now since a new mattress is arriving on Wednesday, now would be a good time to tidy up the bedroom. This involves hanging pictures of Eli and Spencer's graduation. At this point it is a good idea to gather up all the photos that have been printed so you have a good idea of what to work with. At this point you will remember that your 4x6 photos are slightly too big to fit into the 4x6 photo frames. So, dig through all your scrapbooking things and look for your paper cutter. If you can't find that in a timely matter; say, 3 min. then improvise. Your seam gauge that you use for sewing will work and the pair of scissors that are used for everything might cut through the pictures. When cutting make sure you cut off the bottom of the photo and not the heads. Now that all the pictures are in the frames it is time to lay out the frames on the floor so you can get a feel for the look. After deciding which layout is best you will need to find your hammer and some nails. I recommend that when you open the nail container that the nails don't spill all over the floor. This tends to be difficult to pick up. OK, hold the picture frame against the wall to decide where to put the nail. Since the frame is in your left hand, the nail is being held in your teeth and the hammer is in your right hand, things can get a little tricky. After setting the frame aside, gently pound the nail into the wall and position the frame to hang straight. Now comes the fun part. You have to hang the other frames with equal space so they look right. Make sure the nail will fit into the slot. Oh wait, my nails are too big and I don't have any that are smaller. Well folks, I guess we only hang one frame tonight. The good news is: we have one finished curtain and one hung frame. Don't worry about the other curtain and the other two frames. That will take care of itself another day.

P.S. For all who are wondering. I got the mattress today. Of course I had to get it on the hottest day of the summer. Do all new mattress smell? If any of you are wondering about my sewing needles, wonder no more. I went to the quilt store to ask them and discovered I had bought quick threading needles so they're suppose to have a little slit. I never knew. I also bought needles especially for sewing the curtains. Maybe I'll have better luck.

Busy weekend

Wow, it was a busy weekend. I'll try to give all of you a fairly decent rundown of what happened.

Thursday-
I went to Quilter's Quild and signed up to volunteer at the Boise quilt show. This way I get to get in for free and I'll meet some new people. The presentation of the night was a slide show of people's sewing rooms. Let me tell you that some people have amazing spaces in which to work with their quilts. My favorite spot was a lady who quilts in her RV. We got to see pictures of inside the RV before and after she gets ready to quilt. It was very impressive and made me grateful for all my space. She sits in her passenger seat facing the rear of the vehicle and sets up a folding table. Then she uses the top of her dog crate for her ironing board. :-) [I loved that part.] When we saw pictures of people who had tons of room to work in, we also saw their fabric stash. I thought I had a lot of fabric. Let me tell you. My two bins of fabric that hold about 100 yards don't even come close to the amount I saw in the pictures. One lady had all her fabric cataloged so that she could find the fabric in her 100's of boxes.

Friday-
Carmen and I took her kids up to Emmett to see the quilt show. We left town about 1:00 after we had eaten lunch. It got a little hairy as Carmen was sure she knew the way to Emmett, but then kept telling me she didn't recognize the road. The truth was houses have just been built out that way and it's been a while since Carmen has been out there. :-) The quilt show was amazing. I was glad I hadn't entered any of my quilts in the show. They don't even compare to the quality of work I saw at the show. My favorite quilt was one done of teapots. Each teapot was a different theme. I fell in love with it and wish I could tell you each teapot there was. When we left the quilt show we headed for the festival. What we didn't know was that there aren't any cherries up there any more, so their festival is really the town fair. We were very disappointed. In order to calm Alanna who was starting to throw a fit we decided to go get ice cream. But first, we had to drive through town as Carmen was feeling nostalgic. As we passed through town we discovered some antique shops that just had to be looked at. At this point Carmen has told me all about her recent finds for cheap and she is determined to see what Emmett has to offer. Of course, it has to fit in the car, but that wont' deter Carmen. We find a parking space and unload the kids. Alanna goes into the stroller because she's tired and Ronan goes into the backpack. The first store we went into was great. I found a fantastic quilt book that has all sorts of quilts people have made over the years. It was more like an art book, but it also had patterns in the back. I bought it and we wandered out the store and down the street. The third store we went into was also interesting. Here I found a piece of furniture I would actually buy. It was a large round coffee table with a huge clock in the top of it. I didn't buy it because there wasn't room in Carmen's car. [I have since priced out new ones and that one is a steal. Problem is I don't know the store name to call and tell them I would buy it. :-( ] Anyway, after awhile we decided it was time to get ice cream. I had seen a Sonic when we drove into town and thought we could go there and sit in the car. When we got there, we decided to order dinner since it was 5:00 and we were hungry. Alanna stayed in the back so she could sit in her seat and Ronan joined us up front. At one point Carmen asked Alanna where her hamburger was and she replied that it was in her hamburger holder. With a look on my face I turned to Carmen for an answer. Carmen just laughed and said, "You didn't know our car came with hamburger holders?" I soon found out that the door handle holds any hamburger quite well.
We got back into town about 6:30 and went to Jo-ann's for some fabric. I need to make a blanket and had some coupons, so I invited Carmen along. I quickly found fabric and we wandered through the store. I also found a cool puzzle that has a lot of quilts on it. Carmen and I will work on it one night when the kids go to Grandma's. Then I found some cool square glassware. I told Carmen about something I had seen at the quilt quild. One of the ladies used a fishbowl and put all her cut thread into it. That way she didn't have to pick up the strings and it actually became art. I found a cube that I like then we spotted some bottles. I immediately picked up a short, fat one and declared it my container for string. I can't wait to fill it.

Saturday-
I worked on Rachel's blackout curtains for her room. All the fabric is cut and now I need to sew the "cute, fun fabric" to the boring blackout fabric.

Sunday-
I went to church and then came home to take a nap since I didn't feel well. In the afternoon I went up and saw Dad for Father's Day. On the way home from Dad's I went to Albertson's and bought a quart of ice cream. :-) It was so cold here though I didn't eat any of it. Instead I made some hot chocolate and warmed up with an extra blanket on my bed. :-)

Monday (Today)-
After summer school I went down to Grammie and Pa's for about 1 1/2 hours. AJ, Grammie, and I attempted the crossword puzzle, but didn't get very far. AJ had found some lemon, blackberry muffins and we split one. I had brought two plums, so we each had one. The funny thing is; AJ's was white inside and mine was deep purple. They were delicious. As I was getting ready to leave via the backyard AJ asked Grammie to show me "Monk." Monk is the sock monkey that Uncle Dan gave Grammie and that she hasn't let go of for months. Grammie showed me Monk and he was missing his entire red hat (pompom). I asked what happened and Grammie looked at me with big eyes and said, "Well, he almost got decapitated." I guess that answered that. I started laughing and asked how it had happened. Grammie just looked at me and wouldn't answer. I asked again and at this point Grammie turned to AJ and said, "Are you going to help me out here or are you going to just stand there and laugh?" When AJ caught her breath, she explained that Monk had been left in bed and Grammie had sat on him. AJ pulled on Monk's body to free him and his hat came off. Poor Monk. I told Grammie that at least it was winter and he wouldn't be too cold without his hat. I just got "the look." At this point I decided it would be a good time to take my leave and go see Dr. Peine (the head doctor).
I finally decided it was time to buy a new mattress. First I went to RC Wiley and then I went to a little Mom and Pop place that Dr. Peine told me about. After much debate and a lot of lying down I pick out a mattress. The cool thing is they make the mattresses right there in the store. I get to go and pick it up on Wednesday. I can't wait.
Besides my TV and some bookcases this is the first furniture purchase I've made. It was intimidating, but it felt good. Since I was driving by the Chaffee's house I stopped in for a visit. That lasted for 1 1/2 hours. I got home around 7 tonight and made dinner; watermelon and a cheese quesedilla. I just finished my bowl of ice cream and am also trying to chat with Eli while I finish this blog. Since I've spent the last 1 1/2 writing this lovely post I'll say good night and talk to Eli. I'll keep you updated on the mattress.

Rain, rain, more rain

If I didn't know any better I would think I live in Seattle with the amount of rain we have gotten. It has rained for the last week. On Saturday alone we had about 1". Then every night I watch the sprinklers come on outside our apartment. Yeah for timers. Oh well, it should let up soon and it is good for ground.

Summer School is going well. Today I had a problem with a child and someone who knows him just laughed and said yep that's him. Fantastic, I'm sure we'll work it out.

I've been working on my monochromatic quilt. It is the most complicated pattern I've done. Note to self: read the directions before starting; the cooler it looks the more complicated the pattern. The quilt is coming along slowing, but I hope to have it done on time. I also need to put my curtains together as it will get hot sometime soon and it will be nice to have them.

Grammie and Pa's house is getting painted. The people have been there all week scraping off the old paint and applying primer. It is quite a job and they have a long way to go. The guys are really nice and when they get kind of bored they throw the ball for Gus (Uncle Jim's dog).

I've been reading a couple of fantastic books. One is a children's book that is just cute. I would read the whole thing in one day, but I'm trying to stretch it out a little bit. :-) The other one is non-fiction and it is about the foster care system is New York. I can only read a chapter or so at a time because the material is so heavy and the wording is semi-laborious, but it's a good book.

Eli made it to Tucson, but I haven't personally heard from him. I hear he found a place to live and I hope it works.

Summer School

Summer school officially started today. Almost all the students showed up, but compared to last years numbers it seems like we hardly have any kids. Last year we were bursting at the seams and this year I think it will be quite comfortable. I was worried about going down to elementary, but it made me realize that I really like that age group. The kids still like the teachers and they think we know something. Oh well, let's see how I feel about these kids next week.

I did happen upon my dream job today on the internet. I know, all of you out there are saying apply, apply. I haven't even told you what it is yet. Are you ready. The position is for a Library Technician. Oh wait, it gets better. The job is at the Library of Congress in DC. Yes, I'll look into it some more, but don't get your hopes up. That is a long ways away...I'll keep you posted.

Disclaimer--
I thought I would remind you of the title of my blog. It is titled that way because there are days when I run from here to there and don't have time to sit and type a little blog about what I'm doing to go crazy. I thought I would add this disclaimer as someone checked my blog the other day and was disappointed that I hadn't posted anything new. I'm grateful they check often, but it was even funnier because it was my roommate, Rachel, and she hears all this anyway. You all just get a summary.

School is out

Yesterday was the last day of school and I’m so excited the year is over. I finally carried my Birkenstocks into the house and left them in the closet. Remember when Mister Rogers would come into the house and change his sweater and shoes for the show and then change again upon leaving? Well, that’s what I do with my Birkenstocks. I wear flip-flops to the car and put my shoes on at school and when school is over I take off the Birkenstocks and put on flip-flops so my feet can breathe. Now they are in the house and will be put on when I want to wear them.

I got to babysit today for the first time in 6 months. It was so much fun to see the kids. Jackson didn't even blink when I got him out of bed. He just looked at me and said, "Hi, Katie." We had a great time reading books, playing with the train set, and watching a movie. While we watched the movie Jackson sat on my right and Elyse sat on the left. Both of them were plastered to my side with their heads leaning against me. It was so much fun. I go back again tomorrow night.

I went and visited Grammie and Pa today. We worked on yesterday's puzzle because today's was too hard. Grammie, AJ, and I all had a wonderful time laughing at my jokes. Grammie ate an Oreo which was exciting. There are flowers on the table that have been there for a long time. When I leaned down to smell them AJ told me that they had made it 3 weeks and it was because she hadn't put the "stuff" in the water. I asked what kind of flower they were and she said Mums. I answered that maybe they had been mummified. AJ laughed, but Grammie just gave me "the look." I told her I got my sense of humor from her, but "the look" continued. It was then I decided to leave. I think she had had enough of me for one day. :-)

Rachel and I took an adventurous trip to Joann's tonight. I'm going to make curtains for our bedroom windows to block the sun. Since our windows are west facing our windows are like heat boxes in the summer. So we bought blackout fabric and then to be colorful, we got fabric to cover the blackout material. I'll just "whip those right up." Good thing I'm on summer break; oh wait, summer school

I've been telling Rachel about this cool channel on digital TV that broadcast by PBS. I have a digital box in my room and have been watching this channel for a couple months. On Wednesday, Rachel got a new TV for her birthday so we are ready for the digital conversion. So that night we turned to this cool channel to see what was on. Unfortunately it was this guy that was giving a demonstration on how to crochet a sweater vest. [Reminded me of the guy I went out with who told me how many rows he could crochet during a 2 hour movie. Not a good match. I think he had been coached. :-)] So last night I asked her to give the channel another look. We turned it on and some woman was giving a decorating demonstration. Not too bad, you say. Well, she was hold a pillar candle upside down and carving our circles in the bottom. Then she proceeded to hot glue twigs into the holes. When turned right side up the twigs were suppose to be this "cute little stand." If that's not bad enough, the woman then took a smaller pillar candle and made one big hole in the bottom. She then cut three pieces of 8" grape vine and hot glued them to the bottom to become the stand. When put right side up, not only did the candles look rustic and odd; they were crooked and would drip wax everywhere. I immediately told Rachel that this was the kind of centerpiece I wanted for my wedding tables, so she could get started now and maybe when I was married they'd be ready. :-} Just kidding.

Graduation and Finals

Spencer and Eli
High School Graduates

Graduation was last night and both the boys are finally graduates. They picked up their diploma before they left the building. :-) I'm not going to go into details of the ceremony; let's just say the superintendent, board member, and principal bragged way too much and said things about the school they could not back up, ie... Boise High has the smartest students, and my favorite...the school is the melting pot in the district. I think I missed something on that one because as I looked out into the crowd of students they were 90% white. Oh well. Family on the other hand was over the top. Why I chose to sit with them is a funky matter, but I'll try to give the highlights. Dad stood at the top because he was claustrophobic, we sat in the seats that we by the railing (great view, little leg room), etc. The funniest part of the night was when Janice realized she forgot her camera in the car. I told her I had mine and she could just download my photos later. She replied, "Your camera doesn't have enough pixels." I'm glad she had time to run out to the car and get her own camera. Grandma and Grandpa Teed made it in time to come and that was good. As I was talking to Grandma she asked if I had a boy. (I should have said, "No, I have 3 men" but I wasn't thinking fast enough). She then proceeded to tell me that she has a grandson in Texas who is a Baptist minister and he's looking for a wife. I about died. At this point I'm thinking; Janice always thought I should marry a Texas hog farmer. I'm also thinking this guy is kind of family. I politely told Grandma "No" and she accepted it. As I told Rachel the story she wondered if he was an orphan since Grammie always thought I should marry an orphaned minister. (Her rationale was: I have enough family as is and I would make a great pastor's wife). Rachel said if this pastor met all these qualifications there was no reason not to find out more about him. Sorry friends, I'M PASSING!!

Now onto finals-
Today we continued finals and the time seemed to stop on the clock. At one point I look over and one of the boys has stopped his test and is staring at the cute girl in front of him. Then I see her turned around and talking to him; during the test. I walked over to the boy and see a folded piece of paper on his desk. When I asked him about it he said, "It's my scratch paper for my math problems." Yeah right. I finally got it from it and it turned out to be the girl's contact information. I'm glad tomorrow is the last day.
To follow up on the boy who was freaked out by the rain yesterday; he came to school wearing shorts and informed us he hoped they didn't fall down. Now, this is never a fantastic statement to hear, but we asked why. He was wearing cargo shorts and in each of the big pockets he had 2 video games. He had managed to bring 4 games to school in the pocket of his shorts because, "I couldn't bring my backpack to school." What logic. When he explained one of his shooting games he let me know that he was only allowed to get games that were in 2nd or 3rd person, not 1st. I'll remember that when we're writing in English next year.

I went to Grammie and Pa's after school and worked on the crossword. We did yesterdays puzzle because it was a lot easier. Grammie was in a mood so I got a lot of looks, but not a lot of laughs. We did manage to finish all but 5 or 6 answers though. As we were working on the puzzle I heard, "Jane, Jane." Pa was shouting from the living room where he was watching TV. He wanted the front door closed because he was getting too hot. It never occured to him to take off the 2 blankets or coat he was wearing. Minor details. :-)

Spring cleaning-
There are 18 days left of Spring and I'm working hard at cleaning. This weekend I rearranged the closet. On Monday I took my 53 yards of fabric off the bolts and put the fabric into a clear tub. Today I cleaned more of my room. I also went and bought picture fames to hang up photos. I have to say it's been a productive week.

finals, rainstorm

Being in a junior high at the moment is like free admission to the zoo. Except that I'm locked in the cage and they are running free. The students are going crazy! Today was the first day for finals. As I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off before school I wondered what I was doing. I should have worn my tennis shoes instead of sandals. We started into the finals and things went well the first hour and half. After a break the students started their second final. I read the English test to two students and then started returning finished tests to teachers so they could be graded. As I looked out the window I noticed it was pouring. I figured it would stop by lunch time (as we live in Idaho). For lunch all 800 students had about 35 min. to eat. We let our kids go early so they would get to eat and then since it was still raining the students had to stay in the cafeteria or go to classrooms. So much for running off any energy.

The rain continued to come down in sheets throughout the third test. As this point I'm thinking "cool, now I get my car washed." One of our students was taking his science test and he kept looking out the window, then looking at the clock. Finally, our teacher said he would be able to ride home in the rain and not melt because he was made of that much sugar. He grinned, but still watched the rain. I took him to his locker for a worksheet and kidded him about being afraid of the rain. He threw his hands out to the side and said, "I don't have a coat. I'll get wet." I laughed and told him he would dry, but no convincing him. When we got back to the room he had to call him mom to come pick him up. When I asked him about it he said, "I remember that I have video games on hold at the library that I need to pick up." Very clever! :-) He then proceeded to tell me that he could only hold 5 games at a time and he was quite disgusted at this fact. When I told him I could only hold 5 items and that it was a rule for everyone he seemed OK with it. But the rain issue was still there even though he had a ride coming. I saw him staring out the window and then I heard, "Do you see the size of those raindrops? They're huge!"
We need more rain in Boise.