Wednesday, the madness continues

  I don't really know where wedding central is?  Is it Lil sis's house or mine?  Every surface seems to be covered with wedding vomit as we call it.  We have 1/2 the silver polished and will probably have this done tonight.

     My two girlfriends from Montana came in last night and my Eldest daughter is due in sometime around noon.  I also have to pick my 85 year old aunt up at the airport in an hour.

     Hubs has a salmon that needs to be brined and I need to help him get that over to the church where we have a fridge big enough to hold it.

     Sis and I ran all day yesterday, we went to Costco to get the briskets.  One of my good friends is cooking and smoking them pre slicing and then they will be reheated on grills up at the wedding.  She brought over some slices last night on one they had done earlier.  They had purchased a new smoker and wanted to make sure it worked right and I am telling you that was the best brisket I have ever had.  I am so grateful for the village I have around me to get things done.

     We contacted the florist at Albertsons and her flower delivery comes in at 8 a.m.Friday morning so we will meet her and the truck to pick out what we want first.  Today I am getting all the  ribbon picks done for the boutonnieres and corsages. Anything that can be done early will be done so set up is easier.  We are even putting the Jordan almonds /mints  and  mixed nuts in respective silver for the center pieces and covering with plastic, so we just have to plunk them out.

     Eldest daughters bridesmaid dress will be altered today.  That will leave just one dress for last minute bridesmaid.

    I am waiting for a bride from out of town who will pick up her dress today and it was finished last week. If she doesn't get here soon, she will have to call me as I am getting things done that I need to and not waiting on clients.  I made that clear.

     Yesterday Sis and I went to home depot and replaced the large 8 by 10 area rung in my front room. When our old dog Sandy was becoming ill with age she started to wet on one spot.  We had to have her put down and then I had the rug professionally cleaned.  I paid almost as much to clean it as I paid for it.  They stretched it wonky and I still could smell urine so I decided to bite the bullet and replace it.  The nice thing is my Sis has a military discount and we were able to get a new rug for less than cleaning the old one again.

     Lil sis who used to be a hairdresser in her former life before she became an executive, did my hair last night and covered up the 2 inches of grey roots.  I am totally grey now and have been since in was in my mid 20's.  So grateful to have this service.

     Tomorrow we will be grocery shopping and organizing the cooking the salad making that will go on on Friday and Saturday.

     Well I am off to get things done.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Monday, lovely weekend

     I took is pretty easy on Saturday, just getting the nails done and ripping into a few wedding garments.  I also took a nap and Sissie took us out to dinner and it was delicious.  I cooked a big breakfast for everyone after church and as I made a triple batch of overnight waffles I was able to freeze 12 of them for future breakfasts while we have guests.

     Then Sissie and Lil sis and I set op a mock up table outside for how we are going to do the wedding settings.  I want people to now what I want in case I am taken away (in a straight jacket) to do other things.

     The actual tables will be for 8 place settings and we don't have the glasses done yet.  But this gives them an idea of what I want.  The flowers will be bigger this was just a mock up.

     Lil sis and Sissie took all the silver that needs to be polished with them along with the ribbons to make the bows for the flower arraignments that go down the aisle.  We spent several hours yesterday afternoon polishing silver and we are no where close to done.  Lil sis spent her time getting all 48 of the beer steins etched with a large K for the grooms last name.  This way each family has a memento to take home.  Which is so important when most of us don't drink.:)

     I finished the tablecloths that are due out today and after this post I am going to finish hemming the flower girl dress which will be picked up later this afternoon.  Then it is wedding sewing.  I made Hub's try on his grey suit he has not worn since D#2 was married and of course it is too small so I will alter those pants.

     Hubs needs to smoke one of the larger salmon and rip a board in the garage in 1/2 to make stakes that can be pounded  into the ground  for stakes to hold flower arrangements for the aisle. I think we are short about 2.5 feet and I need to get him to buy silver spray paint to paint these.

     Tomorrow we are going to get the briskets so they can be smoked and the junket for the ice cream has arrived.  We will buy all the milk and cream tomorrow for the ice cream and get that organized. Friends of ours are smoking the briskets then cooking and slicing and we will reheat on the grill at  the wedding.  Saving time and anxiety as the Salmon will be cooked on grills at the wedding.

 

     Blah!  my mind is in a dither.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Saturday, Another chart!

     This has been a smokin month for money saving.  But I have been so busy with the garden and catch up, I can't get out and spend money.  I have hardly been to the grocery store.  It is ridiculous.

      Sissie arrived last night in a coma poor thing.  That 3 hour time difference kicks ones butt.  She is safely ensconced at Lil sis's.

     I have another bridesmaid fitted and another grooms mens pants to get  done so those will be off the list soon.  I have a list of things that I want to get done today besides a little grocery shopping.

     Hubs is out picking huckleberries.  A good job to get him out from under my feet.

     Siss is taking us out to dinner tonight and I am going to make everyone breakfast tomorrow after church.




The list for Saturday 7 days before the wedding!

1. get nails done
2. bridesmaid dress ripped
3. finish awful flower girl hem
4. grooms men pants ripped
5. table clothes due out at 11 on Monday
6. Do a mock up of table setting

If I can get these things done today I will be happy as that only leaves two more bridesmaid dresses and one flower girl dress.

It is now Wedding central here.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Friday, Sissie arrive tonight!

     I am so excited.  I can hardly wait for Sissie to arrive.  She is such great help. Plus I miss her and love her.  The littles are here today so everything is chaos as usual. I will not take them next week due to the wedding.

     I was able to get most of the things done on my sewing list.  I still need to hem the awful flower girl dress with at least 8 layers, but all the hand work is done.  I also did not get the table clothes done, but these will be easy to complete next Monday. Sissie and I will knock out and clean the shop.

    One of the bridesmaids is coming today for a fitting.  Yeah! I will have one more down and now only two will be left.

     Daughter has made up a spread sheet of who is doing what the day of the wedding and who is doing what the day before.  This way everyone has a job.  My three sister in laws, who have 15 daughters between them will be here along with my two sisters and a few very close friends.  My sister in law is also bringing 2 older granddaughter 15,16 to help.  My brother in laws are so good at weddings in fact one of them helped finance and start one of his daughters in a wedding planning business.  She now owns the largest catering wedding business in the greater Boise area.  So he is invaluable to us.

     Our family always does almost everything ourselves. I have flown down to southern Idaho and made I don't know how many bridesmaid dresses, wedding dresses mother of the bride dresses.  I have spent weeks at different houses sewing entire weddings.  So it is pay back time.  Pay backs are hell.   I am so grateful.

     Our best friends here are in charge of the kitchen.  She is a gourmet and we did all the catering for her daughters wedding 14 years ago.  So I am not worried about help.  Sissie will organize and Sissie has catered events for years.  I am getting excited.

     I was able to get 3/4 of the garden done yesterday but I am so sore I don't think I will be doing any weeding today.  Maybe I can finish up tomorrow.  Plus it will be about 116 here today. Our second really hot day of the summer.

     I was up early because of the littles and got the kitchen totally cleaned and made a large cucumber/tomato salad.  I also have a fry pan full of green beans ready for dinner.  I scrubbed a large bowl of different kinds of new potatoes. Keeping up with that garden is work, but it sure saves me money.  Tonight we will have chicken breasts, I bought for .49 a pound on a 1/2 price sale.  Then salad and green beans and baked tiny crook neck squash.

     There should be many people picking up today, I think.  Then you never know.

What are you going to accomplish today?  Any plans for the weekend?

Well I am off to chase kids around the back yard.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Thursday, Make myself edition.

     I did not get out in the garden at all yesterday except to pick everything early in the morning.  I would really like to spend a day weeding and trimming and I am not sure I will be able to do that if I don't Make Myself Get the Things in the Shop DONE.

     Because I am trying really hard to not have to sew next week except on anything for my daughters wedding, I must be diligent about getting everything else done that comes in.   I will have at least 3 bridesmaid dresses to alter for B's wedding plus what ever the groomsmen need.  I don't want to be bothered with clients.  There will be one wedding dress pick up next Wed.  That is all I have on the books right now.  That is the way I want it to stay.

     Last night when I wanted to be in the garden I was finishing up a wedding dress.  Today I have 7 hems, a mother of the bride alteration and steam and that all hand work horrible flower girl dress I did not get to.  Oh and 16 buttons to hand sew on pants for suspenders.  Can I get all of this done and still have time for the garden?

     Actually I don't know?  How many interruptions will I have?  The real question is can I make myself stick to my guns and get the stuff done?  Kim has a tendency to wander.  Yes wander around putting things off and day dreaming.  If Sissie were here....  Well she would kick my butt which at this point in the game I really need.

     So I feel a list coming on.  Sometimes I can make myself do what needs to be done if I have a list.  Sometimes.

1. get laundry started 
2. hem 6 items for a client
3. hem one shirt
4. alter and steam mother of bride
5. get buttons sewn on pants
6. flower girl dress from hell Got the body done just have to hem
7.  there are those table clothes I should do...... maybe might put this off to get to garden.

     Then out to the garden to play in the dirt and get sweaty and dirty.  Kim loves a good roll in the mud.

     I was thrilled yesterday as I was driving over to my friends house with here weekly meal.  Almost every ingredient came frost he garden or storage.  I made the large casserole with squash, green and yellow zucc, tomatoes, onions, peppers, eggplant, the olive oil and pasta were from the storage.  Then the salad was  just tomatoes, onion and cucumbers from the garden with a couple tablespoons of mayo, a little sugar and vinegar.  I made fresh blueberry scones from scratch.  So this meal cost me practically nothing.  I am also using up things from the storage unit that need to be rotated.  Like pasta.  I am almost out of pasta, which is good and I can do a stock up next month.

    I fried up a big batch of sesame green beans last night for our dinner and also ate the salad.  Yum.

What are you going to do today?  Do you have to challenge yourself to get anything done?  Are you avoiding things?  ( not counting your husband) Do you have a plan?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Wednesday, Already been to the garden

     I am having to get out first thing in the morning the last few days for the garden as we have had a couple of hot days. Hallelujah! I know some of you want to slap me right now. Yesterday was officially 102 which means it was 112 down town.  But the clouds rolled in while Hubs and I were walking the levy,and we just escaped a hard rain storm by inches.  Cooling the valley down to 73 in a short amount of time.

     I have to take a meal into my friend and I already have a huge batch of pasta in the fridge which I will reheat.  I will make a tomato/cucumber onion salad and as I just picked 1/2 gallon of blueberries, that calls for a batch of blueberry scones for dessert.  The kitchen is a disaster with produce all over and pots and pans.  One of my goals today is to go upstairs and face that debacle.

     There are a couple of loads of laundry to do and my shop needs more love.

1. Indian/Pakistan wedding dress  to hem and shorten the sleeves
2. finish attaching lace and bustling another wedding dress.
3. Hem 6 pairs of pants
4.work on a really rough/hard sequin dress ( all hand work Ugh!)

     But all in all a rather light day for the shop.  If I can get all this done and nothing else is pressing for tomorrow, I think I am going to try and spend the day in the yard tomorrow.  The garden is out of control weeds.  I might be able to get out there for a couple hours this evening.

     Yesterday one of our retirement savings accounts sent a statement and I am happy to say since hubs retired our almost $100,000 in savings has grown by almost $7,000 dollars.  Each of our accounts even thought the market has been up and down has continued to grow.  I am so grateful for this.

     I can hardly wait for my Sissie to get here.  She is coming in less than 3 days.  Joy, joy, Happy Joy.  Or is is it Happy, happy, joy, joy?!

Well I have so much to do, so signing off.

What are you going to do today to save money and make your financial life better?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Tuesday, Saving money takes work.

     If you want to live a frugal life style you have to work a little harder than most people on certain things. I know I have written about this is in the past, but it hit me again this week when I was cleaning out the fridge and trying to figure out how to use up all the extra food I removed.  Also the garden is going great guns and I have to pick everyday and then either prepare to eat or to freeze.  This takes time.  It is work. 

     It would be much easier to buy fresh green beans at $2.99 a pound and buy fresh zucchinis and bell peppers. As I chopped all the eggplants, yellow and green zucchini, onions, peppers, tomatoes from our garden on Sunday and put together the Ratatouille I thought about the work that is entailed.  I could have just gone to the store and bought all the veggies, I could even have bought some of them cut up.  But I choose to grow, harvest clean and cook these things myself. This is work and then there is the clean up.

     Once the tomatoes are really producing I will be canning about 4-6 quarts a day.  I do this outside to keep the house from getting too hot.  Home canned tomatoes are so much better and I use alot of tomatoes over the year.

     It took time to hull and clean and freeze the strawberries I used in the cakes I made.  Although they were mixes, I could have purchased cakes at the bakery instead of mixing up my own. Making food from scratch takes longer.  I also think it tastes better.  It is work.

     If you want to save money or you are trying to get out of debt you will have to work harder.  You may have to add extra hours to your work schedule. You may have to not go places and find ways to entertain yourself for free.  It is so much easier to spend money. You may have to choose to walk more rather than using the car.  You may have to give up things that make your life more convenient.  Like the housekeeper, or calling for a pizza when you are short of time.

     I know that I nursed all of my babies until they were a little over a year old so I did not have to buy formula. It would have been much easier to bottle feed them at times.  You can save money by cloth diapering, but  I did not do this.  I think if I had to do it all over again I would cloth diaper.  At least when we were not out and about. 

     We always had to live on a very tight budget, so I learned to do with less.  Now my money savings is not because things are so tight but because I choose to utilize my money in a different way.  I want to be debt free.  I want my house and then the car paid off.  I want the freedom that this will bring.

     Sometimes we are frugal because we have to be, and then sometimes we are frugal because we want to be.   I have had to learn to want to be frugal.  I have had to learn to tell myself I don't need that even if I want it.  I have had to learn not to be a conspicuous consumer.  It is so easy to fall into that trap.  All it brought was debt and unhappiness, worry and depression.  You think it is going to make you happy but it doesn't.

     I have learned to do most things myself and yes it does take more time, but the savings is incredible.  Saving money can also be a satisfying game one plays.  Seeing how much money I can save has become a form of entertainment.

     Do any of you enjoy money savings?  Do you like to see how much you saved by doing things yourself  Is this entertainment for you?  Am I just crazy?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.
Kim

Monday, Keeping it all straight

     I have a hard time keeping things straight with so much going on here at the house.  With the wedding and the shop and the garden and all the work that comes with just living, it is easy to get overwhelmed.  I am trying to take things one day at a time.

     I got in a good nap yesterday which was nice. I also made a cake pan full of ratatouille, and along with the rice pulled out of the freezer and the tamales I will not have to cook for a few days.  There is also a large helping of spag sauce I will probably make a goulash with, so I am free for the week except Wednesday when I will make a more substantial meal.

     The garden is getting to that point that is is crazy time and we must eat, eat,eat fresh everything. Lots of cucumber and tomato salads, fresh cucumbers in vinegar and salt. Eventually there will be too much squash and we will start giving is away.  Hub's little orchestra and quartet group is mostly elderly retired ladies who love all the eggs and the produce so I have a place where the things are appreciated.

     I have a young scout coming over the get to some yard work I need done before the wedding, as I realize I will not get to it.  I also have a friend coming to help in the shop tomorrow, to catch me up on the pile and then I think I will be able to stay ahead of the game.

     There are two wedding dresses that I will work on today, one will have a fitting tomorrow.  Then I think I am home free on wedding things and I will take nothing else in that has to be done before the wedding.

     I made my last order to Amazon last night for the final wedding things, once I was able to do up flowers and figure what I needed.

     The adjuster on the insurance claim called this morning and they are working on getting it sorted out so I can get my key fobs replaced.  Every time I want to drive my car I have to borrow Hub's key.  It is a pain.

     Sissy arrives this Friday and I can hardly wait to see her.  Lil sis was gone this weekend and I ran over to her place a couple of times and fed the cats and watered her flowers.


     Do you ever feel like you are on a treadmill and you are forgetting something important?  That is how I feel right now and I think I have things pretty well under control.  But that nagging worry of what did I forget?

     Well all I can do is all I can do, so I guess I will start doing and maybe I will feel more in control.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Sunday, Such a nice day

One of two pans of taco casserole I made with left overs from freezer I froze these.

     Yesterday was an awesome get things done day. I did not stress or hurry, I just went about doing things in the order I thought best. Hubs was right along with me and he washed windows and cleaned out my car and washed it.  Lovely!

     I was able to get the house really clean and a good start on some of the deeper company cleaning.  I also took care of what would have been wasted food, as I cleaned out the freezer.

     I pulled out two pints of frozen diced tomatoes, 1 quart of spag sauce, in 1/2 pint of tomato paste all frozen and I made up a pot of spag sauce for dinner and we have some left over for today.  This also freed up a lot of reusable  cottage cheese and sour cream containers. 

     I also pulled out 6  tamales and a large bag of Mexican rice.  So we have dinner for the next couple of days.






     Made up two sheet cakes with sugared strawberries in them that I pulled out of the freezer.  I froze the lemon cake for later.  I did not want to waste berries that are so hard to pick.  I also found a small package of peaches and a container of blueberries to use up later.  It is nice to get through the freezer to see just what you have.

Look at this empty freezer, I put a hot rag on the bottom to clean up a spill.

But then I have to deal with the freezer mess.  What to keep what to try and use.  How to put is all back and leave room for a cake?

All organized and a shelf free with plenty of room!

 

 

Here is an example of the center pieces.  I will use more hydrangea but did not want to pick too many out of the yard.  I will mess with the flowers selection more as we do the wedding.

This  is a terrible picture of the grooms cake, but I loved it and I know the groom will also!

    

Boutonniere, I picked up these little silver pin holders on a close out for .99 a piece.  They also hold  a piece of wet sponge to keep flowers fresh. 

Had a client hold this for me because Roscoe would not:)Add caption

     Bridesmaid bouquets.  I bought forms again on a close out for1.99 a piece and I think they work out great.  So I figured I need to buy.  One dozen dark coral roses, one bunch of white daisies, one bunch orange zinnias, one bunch babies breath and one bunch of lighter color freesia. I decided to do the mom's corsages in roses and freesia.  So all told the cost should be around $30.00 at the whole sale florist.  I had planned to use my own daisies, but they are getting past prime.  I will substitute my own lilies (orange) if they are still blooming for the zinnias.  My Lil sis does great church pew bows so I will wait for her to get home to do any ribbons for the arrangement.

      I feel so much better about the flowers now and know I can do them.

     I was so nice to get through the day and get so much done.  I wish everyday could have been like yesterday.

     I have an entire strainer full of small zucc, yellow squash, eggplant, tomatoes, onions and green peppers so I am going to do a large pot of ratatouille.  That along with rice and cake will be dinner.

     When I went up to pick raspberries, my good friend had picked them all for me.  She was driven out of the house by her husband's varnish fumes.  So I have 1.5 gallons of raspberries just waiting to be made into jam after the wedding!What a great friend I have.

     Well I feel a nap coming on and I want to take a long walk later today and then run the raspberry bucket back to my friend.

Have a peaceful and restful Sabbath

Kim

Saturday, So many things I want to get done

     Well here it is a free Saturday my last free one before the wedding.  Sissie arrives next Friday and the heat will be on.  So much I want to get done today and here I sit with a wet head at the computer contemplating.  Knowing I won't get 1/2 of it completed.  Thinking do I really want to do anything?  Answer?  Probably not.  But I will.

So here is a list of things that I really should do.

1. make two cakes and freeze one to use up strawberries pulled form freezer.
2. make up two freezer taco casseroles to use up the 3 lbs of taco meat pulled from freezer.
3. clean out freezers to make room for grooms cake
4. go get tin foil pans for baking at dollar store
5. go pick raspberries at friends before it gets too hot.  Is there any such thing as too hot?
6. wash and freeze raspberries no berries left

 Since all of these things involve food that could spoil and waste it is a must.

Things I would like to get done.

1. dry my hair and put on some makes up  (Ha!)
2. clean master bedroom and bath
3. vacuum and dust frontroom
4. clean and sweep and dust dining room
5. clean kitchen after all the cooking
6. clean and vacuum family room
7. vacuum stairs
8. put away laundry

Things to get done for the wedding

1. make room in freezers for grooms cake
2. alter Jr. bridesmaid dress
3. practice on flower arrangements at least one center piece, one boutonniere and one corsage.


     Yesterday was a little hectic with people picking up and dropping off.  I had a late in the day Bride appointment.  The dress supposedly did not fit, but they were lacing it up wrong so it fit fine.  Thanks goodness the last thing I need it another wedding dress in here due out before daughter's wedding.

     We sat the littles and a 91 year old gentlemen.  He was here for about 4 hours.  He kept asking to go home and this is hard as Alzheimers patients like a routine.  But we distracted him as much as we could.  He really liked the antics of the littles.

     Hubs and I did get a good walk in last night, I wore the wrong shoes and got a blister. My fault, dumb me.  I was able to get a little sewing done after the kids left.  One bridesmaid dress and started on one of the Wedding dresses due out next week.  So that was a plus.

     Right now I am just looking at the lists and going???????

So first, I will carry the basket of clothes upstairs and put away, clean myself up and head to the store for foil pans, then back to the kitchen.

What did I put on white shorts today?  Do not pick raspberries in white shorts. ( A little note to self)

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in negative.

Kim

Friday, Weekend plans?

     I completed another chart.  So I was happy about that.  All this work and frugal living are adding to my bottom line.  It is hard sometimes to not go out to dinner and not go shopping and try and be really frugal at the grocery store, but the end result is more savings and more charts filled out as I don't spend money in my various budget categorizes.
  
     The blood stripes are done on the marine pants and I was able to get 2 other last minute dress jobs done for people who came into town for a wedding.  So I was sewing late into the evening last night and had to make two trips to JoAnns.

     I just realized I have at least two more wedding dresses that have to go out next week.  UGH! Plus I have two coming in late this afternoon.  It just never ends.  I have one more week to please people and then the shoe drops and I am off for at least a week and a 1/2.  I cannot believe the last minute brides I am getting.  Bringing their dresses in 2 weeks before the wedding.  It is crazy.


     The littles are here today, so I will spend time in the back yard and will probably pick the last of the beans as they play in the water.  I need to dead head all the flowers out there and do a little cleaning.  Where does all the crap on the back porch come from? I swear there is a crap monster out there that just poos stuff out.

     I was able to finish all the ironing yesterday and I am going to try and keep it up so Sissie who is due in next Friday does not yell at me.

  
     This weekend I am going to alter the jr bridesmaid dress and practice on flower arrangements.  I am doing 12 table arrangements, 7 boutonnieres, 4 corsages, 5 bridesmaid bouquets, and the bridal bouquet.  We are using Hydrangeas which can be tricky along with many other yard flowers.  My eldest is insisting on buying a few flowers also but I don't think we will need any.  I also need to figure out how to do a large arrangement for an arch, along with at least 12 arrangements for the path they will take.

     The only thing I am worried about is the bridal bouquet.  We have so many flowers here we could pick forever and not use them all.

     I just got a text from my friend and she is dropping her dad off here while she takes her mom for a haircut.  Last time they took the dad he wandered and fell and cut his head open and then an ambulance ride.  So he can sit in mom's chair and we will keep him occupied.

    I just found out one of my old dance students is bringing over her new baby and she is also bringing the grooms cake which I will freeze.  This student did the professional River Dance circuit before her marriage.  She also graduated from a bakery program and makes the most wonderful cakes.  She is making a fish cake as our future son-in-law is a Fisheries biologist.  Fun!  Now to find freezer space.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
    
    

Thursday, Well finally.....

     I am proud to say that I finally got two of the wedding dress's sewn.  One is done and the other is waiting a try on although said bride has missed two fittings.  The other is due in at noon.  I also are you ready?  I did about 1/2 the ironing last night!

     I know, I know don't get too excited.  I did poop out after I did the napkins and all the cotton shorts.  My Sissie had sent me a  nice package of clothes from Talbots and I finally tried them on.  Loved all of them.  The pants could have been a size smaller (yes smaller) but as my weight can fluctuate due to steroids and (cookies) they are fine.  I can always take darts in the waist if they start to fall off.  So I have two new pair of denim capri pants and 5 new cotton shirts.  Much appreciated as I tend to wear my clothes to rags and then mend them and then Sissie comes and throws them away.

     So there are 5 of Hubs shirts to do and pile of mine.  Hopefully they will get done today. I still have the marine pants to do and a myriad of other things that came in plus a ball gown that needs out by Monday and also another wedding dress to alter.  As the littles will be here tomorrow nothing will get done in the sewing part of my life.

     The shop was busy with pick ups and drop offs yesterday so I had a hard time getting anything done.  I was trying to make this new recipe I read about for my friend.  It was called crack chicken.  It sounded good although I was shocked by the ingredients as they were listed.

3 cups of cooked chicken
16 oz of sour cream
16 oz package of shredded cheddar cheese
1 can cream of chicken soup
one package of ranch dressing mix
one package of bacon bits
one package of tater tots.

Yikes let's just say mix up a bunch of processed food and bake.  This was definitely not low calorie but I am feeding two elderly underweight people with this.

Kim's version

3 cups of cooked chicken
16 oz sour cream purchased at 1/2 price and keep the container for future use.
1 can of cream of chicken soup from mothers pantry staples
made my own ranch mix
made my own bacon bits with 70% off bacon
tater tots which we get free at least twice a year.  Remember we are in potato country.  I get them and then I don't use them so this was a great recipe.
2 cups of shredded cheese.  (I shredded my own from cheese I bought on a great sale less than $2. a pound.

     Okay mix all this together and bake.  I sprinkled my tots on top and then a little more cheese.  This smelled great and I was anxious to try it.  I fried up a huge batch of sesame green beans from the garden and took this to my friend.  I race home to asked Hub's what he thought?  He said it was okay.  Just okay?  Hubs will eat anything and an okay for him means don't make it again. 

    So I tasted it and it was way too salty for me.  It was good but just too salty.  I asked Hub's to tell me why it was just okay.  He said it reminded him of something you would get at a church potluck.  So his opinion garbage food.  Then I thought if I had served him a chicken breast and a baked potato with a dab of sour cream and a sprinkling of bacon bits and cheese along with the green beans he would have been thrilled.  It was the soup and ranch dressing mix my friends and then mixing it into an already partially digested state.  I guess next time I go to a potluck I will do up a dozen baked potatoes and have a few toppings.

     Well there is enough of the hotdish left for dinner tonight and I will make some squash from the garden.  He will eat it and I won't make it again.

Thoughts?  Is this something you would make your family as an entree?  Would you take this to a potluck?  I found it kind of pricey with all the mixes.  I always considered hotdishes something you fed large families to spread out the food and keep it cheap.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
    
    

Wednesday,Will I ever?

     Today's post is asking myself will I ever get to those wedding dresses or my ironing?  I make these plans and they never seem to be realized.  I could have ironed last night but I really needed to go grocery shopping and I was also fatigued.

     My plan was to attack the pile before I started the dresses and the pile turned into over 17 pairs of pants that needed to be either hemmed, adjusted at the waist or both.  I kicked through it all and just have one skirt to alter before I can get to the wedding dresses.  My plan today it at least two wedding dresses and a pair of marine pants that need the stripes down the side.  Not my favorite alteration let me tell you.

     Hubs and I went on a major grocery shop last night and spent $150.00.  Very unusual for us.  I was out of various things as I have been trying to stick to a $50.00 a week budget in order to  eat down the pantry and freezers.  But we needed bread crumbs, and panko, soy sauce, sesame seeds,sesame oil, sour cream, whip cream, seed bread, broccoli, cream cheese,onion soup base, just a lot of odds and ends. I am a scratch cook and don't use mixes very often unless it is a cake mix as it is cheaper to buy them on sale. Then we were out of dog food and cat food and some protein drinks we like that are low carb.  We hit a great fruit sale .99 for grapes and cherries, so I bought more fruit than I usually do.  We also needed cereal for hubs.

     When we were at Wally world they had their large plastic outdoor chairs on sale for $9.00 and ours are breaking up so we bought a couple of these.  I really dislike plastic anything, but as these sit where the sprinkler can get them I have no real choice.We need the seating, and this was a cheap fix.  That is always the answer. We need a good way to recycle plastic.

     So the large grocery haul was actually a good percentage of pet food and plastic crap.

     I am taking dinner into my friend tonight and making a chicken casserole with fresh green beans and I am also going to make up a fruit salad.  Haven't thought about dessert, but was thinking of a pineapple upside down cake as I have all the ingredients in the pantry.  

     I had picked up 4 packages of marked down chicken on Monday, so I divided those up into  8 seal a meal bags for later dinners.  I am using one of the bags tonight.  I paid less than 8.00 for all that boneless chicken.

     Well I could sit here all day but I really want to get to the sewing and maybe just maybe I will be able to talk myself into ironing tonight after I deliver dinner.

     Do any of you have any plans for this Wednesday?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Tuesday, Hope for a calmer day:)

     Yesterday was such a whirlwind of chaos.  I was not able to get into the shop and really start sewing until after 3p.m. However the shop was super busy with drop offs.  I could not believe how much work came in.  After sewing for a couple of hours I ran upstairs and made beef broccoli with another less than 2 dollar steak and I used green beans from the garden and also homegrown onions and garlic.  I bought the broccoli as I cannot grow broccoli with out worms. The worms creep me out.

     This recipe makes enough for 2 meals for us.  I always make extra rice as Hubs loves rice with sugar and cinnamon for breakfast. Tonight I will be making chicken tenders, with new potatoes and green beans from the garden.

     I bought several packages of chicken breasts yesterday on sale for .99 a pound and I will go up and put them into packages with my seal a meal.  I also was able to get breakfast sausage for a real marked down price and bought all that they had.  This is how I keep the freezer stocked with meat. I try to always keep meat under 2 dollars a pound unless it is for a special occasion.

     After I was able to finally settle down I threaded one of my sergers with burgundy thread and hemmed and altered 4 different bridesmaid/mother of the bride dresses.  Then I got three pairs of grooms men pants for another wedding ripped and ready to alter.  They are waiting for me as I write.

    I really need to get to at least two wedding dresses today along with several pairs of pants to hem and fix.  There are some zippers that need replacing also.  It will be a busy sewing day for me if I can keep from being distracted by other things.

     Last night I went to Lil sis's to see if she had any wallets I could have.  She has more stuff than she knows what to do with.  She found two.  Although neither are ideal they will do until I come across something I think is worth spending the money on.  Now that I have  drivers license, a major CC. (the one I only use for travel) and a Penneys card (that I rarely use).  I am still waiting for my normal bank card and my airline card.     I need to replace my insurance cards, what a pain this has been.

     Well the sewing shop awaits and I am hoping I can report tomorrow that I really made some progress in there.  I also hope to be able to set up the ironing this evening and iron while I watch some TV.  It is my reward.

     Do any of you try to do something you enjoy when you have to do a miserable chore?  Sissie is due here in less than two weeks and I don't want the ironing basket over flowing.  You all know how Sissy can be....

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim    

p.s. just got off the phone with prosecutor in Washington, I guess there are three brothers all in on this same case.  All three are in jail.  Their mother must be so proud.  Then I think that poor soul.

Monday, They are in Jail!

     It was an exciting and frustrating morning here.  It started out with a visit from the police to let me know that the purse thieves were in Jail in Washington.  I was to contact them and go over and see if any of my things could be returned.  After visiting the police dept, I was only able to get back one check book and a pill case.  They still have my drivers license.  Upon looking at the check book the little turds had written a couple of checks which of course had cleared for cash.  Now I had called the bank and let them know to be on the look out for this but the forgery was done at another branch.  The monies were returned.

     Then high tail it to the other bank where my shop and savings are to see that nothing had gone through.  It hadn't.  So stop pays are on everything, of course costing more money. I was so hoping to get my key fobs back, but no luck.  I have such a headache right now from the anxiety.

     The dress from hell was picked up and approved, thank goodness. The shop phone has rung off the hook and the shop has been so busy. I have yet to be able to sew anything and it is almost 2 p.m.  It will be a late night.  I have to say I am grateful for the work.

     Here it is a few weeks away from B's wedding and I have no charge cards to purchase or pay last minute things and I am using only cash and then to find out my cash is gone with forged checks.  It is almost enough to send me over the edge.  But I just have to say, I have a roof over my head, food to eat and clothes to wear, I am okay.  I am blessed.  Many others are not so lucky.

     Yesterday I mad a great Sunday dinner which consisted of a steak I had purchased with a 50% off the marked down price making it less than 2.00.  I cubed this and rolled it in flour salt and pepper and made bite sized steak bites. We had new potatoes, green beans, yellow squash, Armenian cucumbers and our first beef steak tomato from the garden.  So the entire dinner for two was a little over two dollars. Our garden is now producing for every meal and the chickens do breakfast.  I am blessed.  I just have to keep telling myself this.

     Now I have to go back to the police station in Clarkston and give the officer the bank papers on the forgery.

     Isn't life grand?  Does anyone else have this kind of chaos, or has had this kind of chaos?  Tell me I am not alone.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

    

Sunday, No good deed ,#2

     Goes unpunished.  Well a little update on my Saturday.  I had such plans.  Plans within plans (Dune).  I jumped out of bed with this idea that I would get so much done and I would be well on my way this next week.  Ha!  Kim plans and God laughs.  The motto of my life.

     Hubs and I did get right busy cleaning the house but we were not finished when our friends arrived and the vacuum and mop sit exactly where we left them upon their arrival.  We did get to discuss and list the menu.  We made plans on how we were going to do the brisket (ahead of time and reheat).  They will smoke the briskets and cook so I don't have to do that.  We are going to meet the Wednesday before the wedding to cook all the custard for the homemade ice creams.  We will make them the night before at the  rehearsal dinner and hard pack them.  We will only have one freezer for soft the day of the wedding.  Salads will be assigned out and our friends are in charge of seeing that all things are out and dishes are refilled as needed.  So all though the shopping and the work are not done we have a plan. (Do you hear laughter?)

     I also was able to get the Jr. bridesmaid into her dress to mark it for alterations.  I am so happy I ordered a larger size as she is so tall if I had gotten a dress to fit her it would have been too short.

     The client who was to pick up the $5000.00 monster dress called as they had just flown in from Miami and were very jet lagged.  They asked for a 6:30 evening appointment and I was fine with that as I wanted to hit the second hand stores for the last of the silver centerpieces. I also needed to get mouse traps and try and find shoes for the Jr. Bridesmaid.  I drove over to Lil sis's and made her come with me.  I was so happy to find the last Two pictures I needed and also shoes.

     I had the whole evening to binge on netflix and do all the ironing.  I thought...  Enter client who tried on $5000.00 dress. Which ended up being too long.  The mother had called me after the initial try on and asked me to lengthen it 1 inch as they were getting taller shoes.  Well even with the taller shoes it is still too long.  I should have gone with my original measurements. So I have to unpick the whole thing and redo it.  It will take hours.  Of course she will pay for my time, I just don't want to do this. 

    I did manage to get it all undone last night and I plan on having it done by late this evening.  But I will have to spend several hours hand sewing this back together.  Not something I want to do on the Sabbath.  They need the dress as they are leaving for Japan on Tuesday morning early. Crap and double crap!

     I am still going to take a nap, I think I can face the monster dress after a nap.

Have a restful and peaceful Sabbath.


Kim
  

Saturday, No good deed

    Goes unpunished.  So the Indian Regalia gets picked up and she brings me another dress to do. I knew I was in trouble when I only used 1/2 the white hide she had brought me. After I get this one done she wants me to replace the hide on another ceremonial dress that was done years ago.  Bother.  I can see this growing into the ribbon shirt fiasco I lived through years ago.  Once the word gets out that I can do this I will get too much of this kind of work.  I am probably just borrowing trouble and should not worry about it.  I won't even try to get this done until after the wedding.

Isn't the bead work stunning on this dress?  It was the client's grandmothers.  It is an honor to be trusted with such a beautiful garment.

     I was able o get a good load of beans picked yesterday while the littles played in the back yard.  The shop had many customers in and out  yesterday.  I have a huge pile of just smaller items to kick through on Monday before I start on wedding dresses.

     I am going to get the house rally cleaned this weekend and also the ironing caught up.  I have the jr bridesmaid coming over for a fitting and I need to hurry and hem another dress I forgot about that was due out Monday morning.  Ugh!

     Let's see?  It is almost 12:30, can I get the family room vacuumed and the ironing set up before 1 p.m.  On you mark get set go!

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Friday, Staying on track

     I was able to get that stinkin expensive dress done and also get another Wedding dress ready to go.  I need the bride here to adjust a bustle.  I also ripped and got another ready to take in.  I am shocked at the #of brides that come in here with the wedding less than 3 weeks away.  I still have at least 4 dresses to get done before B's wedding.  I will not be taking any more work in after two weeks.  If it can't be done by the 26th it will have to wait until after the wedding.  My concentration the week before will be on our needs, not clients.

     We are meeting with a couple of good friends that will be helping with the food for the wedding this weekend.  Hubs and I did her daughters wedding and I will put them in charge of the kitchen once the ceremony starts.

     The resort we rented has a full beautiful industrial kitchen.  We will be there for 3 days so prep will be fine.  I have many family members and friends who will be here to help and I am assigning salads out.  We just have to go over the logistics.

     The littles are here today and they are running the roost.  I am happy to take a day away from the machines.  Although I will still have clients coming in.

     My arm is still really tender and I cannot lean on that elbow.  It is so strange as you don't realize how many times a day we lean on our elbows.  I can't wait until this is gone although it might be months. Still grateful it is not broken.

     I will get some weeding done outside when I take the littles out to play in the kiddie pool. It will be nice to sit on the back deck in the sunshine and just sort of relax.

     Hubs has a follow up doctor appointment this morning and I am also sending him to the store for milk and a bag of candy.  I should have picked these things up yesterday, but I thought we had plenty of milk and Hubs the dirty honk ate all the littles candy.  I keep it to bribe potty training. Hubs excuse is that he goes potty also.....

How are you going to enjoy this Friday?  Any weekend plans?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim
    

Thursday, the wind in out of my sails

     I have had a couple of really hard projects that are due out this week.  One was a ceremonial Regalia Indian gown.  I had to cut buckskin into fringe. This involve a rotary cutter and hours of time.  It is tedious work.  But I finally got it done.  Buckskin is heavy in some places and very thin in others.  You have to find the places where you can get the best cutting and then plan it out.


     So here is an example of what I spent several hours cutting after I had the strips cut out of the hide.

This is the dress that the buckskin will go on.  I had to put fringe on the sleeves and the bottom.  I figured 186 inches of fringe.  So about 6 yards of tedious cutting, but it is done.  Hooray!

 Here is the finished product.  I do many things for the local Indian tribe.  Making ribbon shirts, and helping women learn to sew their own.  It is fun ,but fringe is the pits.  It makes me admire the women that cut fringe with a knife.




I also have a $5000.00 dress that needs to be hand hemmed with a prick stitch. and I spent most of the day on this yesterday after I got the Indian gown done.  I was too fatigued last night to finish getting the edges moved up so that is my first job today is to finish this bugger. This all has to be done by hand as they want the dress to grow with the girl.

Look at the mess in the shop, I can feel a lecture coming on from Sissie. Oh by the way that is the ironing basket.  Yikes it is taking over the world.

Here is the difference in the hem.  I have to move up the horse hair braid and then keep all the material so the dress can be let down.  I also have to cut several layer of tulle that are too long underneath as the dress is about 5 inches too long.  Can't wait until this is finished.  It is painstaking work.  The dress need a god pressing to take out the demarcation lines but that will be done in Japan where it will be worn. So I won't bother with steaming as it will shoved into a suitcase.


I plan on trying to kick out a couple more wedding dress today after I finish the above monster.  I will feel good if I can get this done.  Maybe I can take away the sick feeling I am carrying about my purse.

I keep telling myself that this is not that big a deal,  I am fine and it is a pain and it is expensive, but I can live with that.  Just keep on truckin this too will just be a distant memory.

The funny thing is that when I went out this morning, I took the truck as I did not want to beg Hub's for the key to the car and get yet another Sheldon Cooper lecture.  I locked the truck after, and I made sure I had my purse and I hung up the key which is on a long lanyard that can be hung around my neck.  Then I took my purse and put it on a hook in the family room right by the computer.  See I can be taught

Yesterday I took pounded pork steaks and gravy into my friends house along with newly dug garden potatoes and a bag of frozen veggies.  I whipped up a mock cheese cake with some cream cheese, a container of cool whip and a graham crust  and a can of lite cherry pie filling everything came out of the storage so I purchased nothing.  I love to cook like this.

Well the shop is waiting and I am hungry so I had better get to work.  What are you guys doing today?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Wednesday, I'm here and still progessing

     It was a whirl wind last 48 hours and even though I have been upset and angry I have still made myself get things done.  I could have gotten much more done but at least I did something.

    B's wedding dress is done except for attaching the straps and getting the bustle put in.  She will have to be in the dress for me to finish it.  This will only take a few minutes.  Also was able to complete the hemming on one of the bridesmaid dresses and also was able to get all the alterations done on the grooms suit. Other alterations on dresses will have to be done when wedding party arrives.  But anything I can get done early I am going to do.

     I had someone come in and help in the shop yesterday to help catch me up on smaller things and those are all done or at least ripped and started.

     Today I take my claim form to the insurance office.  What a pain in the butt.  Anyway my new to me crappy purse is hanging on a hook right here where I can see it!

Have a great and productive day as I know I haven't produced what I should have the last two days....

Kim

Monday, I am a loser!

      I have a confession to make about my personality and my lifestyle.  I am a loser.  I have always been a loser.  No matter how much I try to keep my head on straight I lose things. I need to have things tattooed to my body to keep things straight.  I have tried over the years to rectify this problem but to no avail.  The reason that I am admitting this now is that my purse was stolen last night out of my car which was in the garage. 

     I have spent the morning tracing down cc's that yes have already been used.  These little buggers will be caught, but in the mean time I have had to waste my time and I am upset and sick to my stomach.  I am so behind in the shop and I need to get my mind and act together and I can hardly think.

     The police have been here three times and they are after the little turds as they have them on camera at several locations both the car license # and the photos of them using said cards.  The cards had no balances so the charges are easy to trace.  Of course my meds, my key fobs, my prescription sunglasses everything will have to be replaced.  The police think that the thieves are so stupid I will probably get everything back as they have dumped the purse and things somewhere or still have it in the car or the place they live.  If they are dumb enough to use the cards on camera over and over in the same small town the cards are issued in they are dumb enough to not throw the purse away.

     Just picked up my new bottle of Xeljanz to the tune of $4879.00, not counting the other med that is close to $900.00 that has to be called in. What a fiasco.

     Now why was my purse in the car?  Because I cannot keep track of it.  I lose it all the time and it is large.  I cannot remember where I put my purse or my cell phone or my  keys.  I cannot count the # of fights  my Hubs and I have had over keys in the last 40 years.  I do not like to keep my purse in my shop because too many people come through and I fear it will be stolen.  So I keep it in the car.  I do not lock the car because I keep my keys in my purse. If Hubs accidentally locks my cars with my keys in it I get mad at him.  I know where my purse is and my keys.  I lose my cell phone at least once or twice a day.  Hub's is constantly calling my phone to help me find it. Do you see the problem here.  Yes I am the problem.

     I know the garage door was shut last night, but sometimes especially when airplanes fly by or the police drive by the garage can open or close for no reason.  The police said I am now easy pickens so now I have to move my cash box into another room and have a code on it and have it secured to a piece of furniture.  We also need to set up security cameras on the front door , the shop entrance and inside the shop.  Like I have the time and the money for this bs.

     I have to keep my purse somewhere else in the house and just be much more careful.  This will be very, very, very, hard for me.  I have terrible habits and do not change things very well. I am very, very, very VERY undisciplined.  Now go ahead and yell and lecture, as hubs has not done any of that at all...... (not)  But I will tell you this is a clinical problem that no medication can take care of.  I have tried to change bad habits and I work very  ( I like the word very ) hard to keep my sanity and my brain on track.  I work much harder than most people to just get out the door in the morning in one piece.  What is normal for most people is excruciatingly hard for me.

     I have people say mean things to me sometimes when they first get to know me.  I have many things that I can do and I do well.  I am not bragging, I just can.  I was born this way.  I did not make myself this way.  I do not do these things on purpose to make you feel bad  or to make myself feel better.  It is the way I am.  My brain runs 100 miles and hour and rarely shuts down.  I have always been like this, from my earliest childhood memories.  I can amass large amounts of information very quickly and see through problems and schematics.  I am very fast  and move quickly and seldom with any mistakes.  My brain is just go, go, go.  But when it comes to very simple things like right and left, up and down, where was I last, where are my physical things, I am lost in space most of the time.

     So now I have to develop a knew set of protocols and this is going to me so hard.  I will have to devote extreme energy to this and I don't have time for that right now.  I don't have time for it ever.  I need a keeper.  

Thoughts?

Kim  . 

Saturday, Another chart!

     Well another chart was completed yesterday so I will quit complaining about having to work on Friday.  I was finally able to get a really hard pageant costume done last night.  It was a bear cat let me tell you.  It is at the time now that I will start putting work off until after the wedding, unless it is really simple like hemming.  I have enough to stay very busy with what is in the shop.  Any dresses that come in for July will have to go somewhere else.  I don't know where but that is not my problem.  I just can't do it all.

     Last night I slept at Lil sis's as I am watching her boyfriends dogs.  It was quiet and I was able to get the beading done on that pageant dress. Hooray!

     One of the dogs is really old and needs to be helped up the stairs.  They are both cute.  I have to stay there tonight also.  Lil sis and boyfriend are going on a river raft trip about two days long so this was the solution for the dogs.  I don't mind she only lives 3 minutes from me and I can run back and forth with ease.

     Hubs and I are going up to St Maire's today to look at another piece of land.  He is hovering while I post as he wants to get going.  I want to make some sandwiches and pack a few water bottles and fruit .  It is a 5 hour round trip and I don't want to spend  money at a high priced little town service station or store.

     When I get home tonight I am going to take B's wedding dress over to Lil sis's and work on it.  I am also going to get the grooms suit altered.

     It is going to be crazy busy next week.  I have so much to do, but at least money will roll in and I will save it up for extra for the wedding or the house.  Hub's and I went and bought all the Salmon yesterday for the wedding.  We bought a 5 lb whole one to smoke and then 4 others to grill.  We are lucky to live close to an Indian reservation that can fish for sockeye all year round.

     B's veil also came in yesterday so that is taken care of.  I actually ordered it off a cheap web site.  I could have made it but time is money right now. For the amount of time it would have taken me I was money ahead to order.

     Well I am going up to pack a lunch and get ready to go. I love a drive in the country it is relaxing to just dream and look at the mountains.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

     

    

     In my frugal way and not wanting to consume more things that are not really necessary, I decided to put out the Valentine place mats and napkins for our 4th celebration. I kept telling myself to go to the dollar store and get a few things, and then I would say NO!  This is consumerism at it's worst. You don't need plastic crap to throw away later.  Use what you have that can be washed and reused. So after realizing we were serving 8 and I only had 4 of these napkins, I ran downstairs and looked through my stash and found this cute red/white/blue seascape cotton I had purchased for $2.00 a yard.  I quickly (it took about 1/2 hour) put together 10 nice sized napkins which we will use all summer until Labor day. Then store for next summer. This is a picture of a snack I had about 2p.m. as the celebration would not really start until about 5 and I was starving.  Note the gold plastic cups that I received free from an event I catered.  My family did not use one of them.  They all went and got a glass out of the cup board.  I think we are all apposed.  Kind of how I raised them. I think it is an aversion to paper/plastic plates.

     Our barbecue grill is on it's last legs and yesterday decided to go belly up so we had to run to Lil sis's and get hers which is also not working the best, but better than ours.  Hubs is ready to call it quits on the gas grills and go back to charcoal.

     We all ate entirely too much yesterday.  I was miserable last night from too much food.  It was good food but I over indulged.   After company left about 7 p.m. I took a two hour nap and then Lil sis called and we hurried over to pick her up and go watch the fireworks overlooking the river.  Then home to go back to bed early, which just meant putting on pj's and laying in bed under a fan with a bad stomach until about 2:30.  But it was a fun day with the kids and the grandson and Lil sis.

     Today I have to get a bridesmaid dress done for pick up this afternoon and another really  hard pageant costume.  There is also a bride dress ready for pick up.  I need to get things out of this shop as it is getting hard to move around with everything hanging. 

     Daughter #2 was able to fit into her dress yesterday and I do not have to let it out!  Hooray for her and for me.  B tried her dress on again for the final fitting before I take it in.  So I have three wedding outfits I can get done this weekend.  No excuses those are going off my list.  I also have an American Indian regalia dress to cut and put buckskin fringe on.  I will try and get the fringe done today.  So lots to do and I feel like this should still be a Holiday not a work day.

How many of you have to go back to work to day?

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Thursday, I will live!

     My elbow is not fractured.   It has a severe bone bruise and will be tender for  a while. The doctor was more worried about my wrist which appears to have two small tumors in one of the central bones.  These can be caused by my RA.   They are not painful, but will be re x-rayed in 6 months and if they have grown then we will see. I am not worried as this is such a common thing with RA.  It is just the meds I take can cause cancer so we have to be careful.

     Here is Schmills and Grandpa fishing.  How cute is that?  Okay I am prejudice but, what can I say?

     The house is down to $13, 700 and something and I am stoked about.  If I don't go too far over on the wedding budget I will try and get it below 13,000 before the end of the month.

     The girls are both here and they are cleaning the house and cooking.  I am just playing on the computer.  It is so nice to have them grown up and responsible.  Who ever knew this could happen.  B (the youngest) has vacuumed the stairs, made the beds and is up stairs with her sister (#2) cooking.  I just ask for something to be done and they do it.  This frees me up to do things in the shop.  So grateful.

    

     Here is a picture if D#2.  She is a hockey mom as Schmills paternal Grandpa is a Canadian ex hockey semi pro.  His daddy tried to go semi pro but wracked up his ankle.  Schmills, has already been on skates, and his first word was GOAL!

     We are having my Lil sis and her boyfriend and the girls for a barbecue today and will then  go watch the city fireworks tonight.














      It is so nice to have shade, a dog and good view of the lake.

You can also use a dog for a seat when you are tired of riding your bike and need a Popsicle.

Well I had better go and supervise the girls they might need to be bossed.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim

Wednesday, progress of a sort

     I was able to get the things done yesterday that I wanted to and even had a super scary hard wedding alteration in for a second fitting and it is going to be okay.  That was a load off my mind.  I just have so many dresses in here and I have to stay on top of dates and times.

     When a dress has to be enlarged it can be difficult to know whether it will fit or not.  So appointments are needed to see if I can even help a situation. I just completed my third fitting on a mother of the brides that I finally got to fit. Second,some of these bridal dresses that come from China are so poorly made and the linings don't fit right.  Then I have to work some magic to get the dress to be wearable.  Not the best work for perfectionist worrier.  I am only a perfectionist about my clients work.  The rest of my life well....

     Today I have a bridesmaid dress to get out and a really hard pageant alteration.  Both are due out this afternoon.  One for a pickup and one for a fitting.  I also have a wedding dress to hem and it is a bear cat of a dress with about 10 layers.  It is like fighting a mad three year old to work on such a dress.

     I was able to get a few things done for the wedding yesterday.  I was able to get the veil, I also picked up more silver at second shops.I just need two more coffee pots and one set of servers (which I hope to borrow)  I also ordered the fishing poles for the kids.

     As I have been so busy in the shop and I have not had time to spend any money I was able to pay the house payment and put $1000.00 extra on the mortgage yesterday. So that is done for the month and so early.  Remember how it would sometimes take me to the final day of the month to squeeze that extra $1000.00 out of the budget?  I want to pay the rest of the months bills sometime today, just so that is done and I don't have to think about it.

     Look the house is below $15,000 and will drop even further when the new payment is reflected. I am still behind to have it paid off by Christmas but I am doing everything I can to reach this goal. By the way if you are saving a penny a day you need to put $61.07 in your bank for the month.  I figure if I am short on the house payoff, I have the $5.00 savings and this savings and my change pig so between the three I just may have to use it all to make the goal.

     I am making meat loaf and baked potatoes and peas for dinner for my friend, have no idea what to do for dessert but I will scare up something, even if it is a cake mix.

     Well I had better get to work. I need to be at the specialist at 1:00.  I have no idea what they are going to say or do and I am really worried.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative. 


Kim

Tuesday, What? back to specialist

     Right after I finished my blog post I received a call from the orthopedic office asking that I come in as they think the elbow has a fracture.  Now the radiologist said no, but the orthopod says yes.  It is a non surgical fracture. I told them I had taken the cast off and was doing fine.  It only hurts if I pick up something heavy (which I can avoid).  I can't lean on it at all, so I don't.  I also get a power like electric surge down the arm every once in a while.  We wrapped it back up for padding and I am being as careful as I can.  They said they will probably not cast it , but I need to go in.  CRAP, crap and double crap.  So my appointment is for tomorrow at 1:00 and I am on pins and needles.

     We will not be watching the littles until my arm has been cleared, as I can't lift them.  But life is going on around here as usual. I am taking everyone's advice to get shop work done and not worry about the house as much. I am doing what makes money and everyone else can take care of the rest.  I used a timer late last night when cleaning up the kitchen. 

     I set it for 20 minutes and when that was done I was done.  No overdoing.  So the floor did not get done. Hubs can do that today.  Our youngest daughter came down and really deep cleaned the large front room which was so nice of her.  It was one of her days off.  I was able to get the grooms clothes fitted to him and now I can get those done. 

     So today I must see to a bridal veil for daughter, and pay the bills online that I can.  Not sure if checks have come in yet.  Those are my have to's.  The little's mother brought over spaghetti for hubs dinner so that is solved.  Yeah!

     I was able to get two dresses hemmed and 12 pairs of pants hemmed yesterday.  Today will be wedding dresses and another pageant outfit that is going to be a bugger. Then I have a bride dress that needs to be basted for the brides approval which I can finish later. Also another fitting for a mother of the bride to see if we can get a dress to fit her. So plenty to do.

     Daughter #2 and the youngest are coming back Wednesday night to help me with things around the house and I will get D#2's bridesmaid dress pinned to alter and the bride dress done. Everyday I try to do something as the closer we get the more overwhelmed I feel.

     The idea is to set a goal of work I want done everyday and then complete it.  I usually over plan but that is okay as long as I keep going.  I thought I would get a wedding dress hemmed yesterday but I did not and that is the first thing on the agenda for today.

     Well I am going to try and pay bills and then get to work before I am side lined by a doctor.  Yikes!

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim