Tuesday, Yikes! Why did I come back?

 Sluggy being Sluggy, which is why I love her.  I am asking myself why I came home?  The shop was crazy yesterday and I got NO!!!!!! sewing done as I could not get the phone to stop ringing and the doorbell. Constant clients until after 6 p.m. The High school needs cheerleader uniforms altered by Saturday  and I have another dress I have to have out by Saturday but everything else is on an as is basis.  I am swamped again.

I did get out and get the watering done this morning, Roscoe is at the groomers, my daughter took him along with her dog.  Getting the laundry all done and put away was a chore, it just seemed like the day whizzed by.  I did however get the shop really cleaned and I thoroughly cleaned out the vacuum which was so full of string and cloth. I just could not believe it was 4:30 and time to start dinner.

I hope today goes better.  I think it will, although the phone has rung a lot and I have had several people here already.  One was a young woman that was crying as she had just gotten a bridesmaid dress in for a wedding that is on the 11th and it was two sizes too big.  Her mother just passed from covid and she was just so overwhelmed.  My heart just went out to her.  IF you think this mess is over it is not.  We have so many dieing in this valley, and I just don't understand it.

Kelsa is crawling instead of pulling herself along on her belly and she is very proud of herself.  She is also waving bye-bye as long as you don't mind her waving backwards.  Oliver can pull himself to a standing position with very little help but no steps yet.  These babies are getting so grown up and I am so happy to have been part of it almost everyday.

We had some red potatoes that were starting to go bad so I sorted a few out and had hubs boil all of them on Sunday and we have been frying them for dinners.  We had tomatoes and cukes to pick and I made a nice salad with them last night along with some steak from the freezer.  We do need to go grocery shopping for fresh things. I need to get to the pharmacy this evening, I need to get to the bank and I need to pay bills. So much to do.  It is hard to wrap my head around what to get done first.

I want to go over to Lil sis's tonight to see my friends, but we have to go to get chicken feed a few groceries and to Albertson's for prescription so I won't get over there until late as I have brides until after 6:00.  Take a deep breath. I think this two weeks off really spoiled me.

Last night when I picked up the girls, there was a huge box of apples waiting for me and I need to make applesauce.  When I got home last night Hubs had picked 1/2 the grapes.  I was like WHY!!!!  The apples are enough to do right now, but he was afraid the deer would eat them all and he was right. Blimey talk about overwhelmed.  I just have to remind myself, that I don't have to buy applesauce all year and I don't have to buy jelly, plus what we make is so much better.

I am blessed with work and I can do this.  SO stop complaining and get to work.

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

Are any of you seeing spikes in your covid numbers and more deaths?

Kim

Monday, Home again, Home again, jiggety,jig

 Well here we are.  I am not sure where we are in the panorama, but we did spend some time almost everyday in the hots tubs. The weather was stellar, with 5 of the 7 days warm and sunny.  We expected all the days to be overcast and rainy but mother nature loved us.

I think I started smiling when I got on deck and I am still smiling.  Hubs also had a wonderful time.  Slugs and her Hubby are great to travel with, we had so many good laughs. Hubs came away with an added admiration of Slugs Husband almost bordering on hero worship.

If you are thinking of going on a cruise I would suggest NCL to Alaska.  It was incredible. Now getting on and off the ship had its clunkers, but once you got on it was a fairy tale.

I will add pictures over the next few weeks.  But first I have to show you Oliver who would have nothing to do with his smash cake at his own birthday.  But we gave him a piece of Kelsa's cake at her party and this is the picture I got.

Now this was a big piece of cake he was sharing with his dad.  Nothing doing.  He grabbed the whole piece and smashed it into his fat little hands and ate the whole thing.  So funny.

Kelsa also bawled and refused to do her cake at the party we had for her up at the lake.  Turned out she was teething and kind of feverish.  However on her birthday she started with her toes and then I think she rolled in it.  Even her hair was in the game.  All I can see is my twin sister in this little face.  It is almost scary at times.  Reliving memories that are long buried.

I have girlfriends here from Missoula and they are staying at little sis's. It makes the sting of missing Slugs a little less. I hated to see Sluggy and her hubby leave as we dropped them off in front of the airport terminal.  When will we see them again?  What is the next big adventure?

Coming home to a house where we just dumped the bedding and the laundry  and the crap that did not need refrigeration from the lake trip and then grabbing prepacked suitcases and leaving was not such a great idea. The mess we came home to was horrific. We added more laundry from a week of cruising and boy has it been work...

Yikes, yesterday I just unpacked and tried to get laundry started and everywhere I looked in the house had a pile of something that needed to be put away.  

We keep our cat box and food out in the garage as I don't like a cat box in the house.  Our cat is well trained and will almost always go outside unless locked in the house.  When we are gone I think it bothers her (I know it bothers her) and she spends more time in the house.  So I had to clean up that mess  as she threw litter all over. She also meowed and meowed when we came in and immediately went to sleep on Hub's backpack after he emptied it.  So cute, like,"Oh they are home, let me rub myself all over the suitcases".

Roscoe was better, as he stayed the last week with my daughter and her two dogs and he loved that.  We also went over to pay the sitter who kept him the week we were at the lake and he jumped out of the car and raced to her door, so he obliviously loved  her.

The phone has rang none stop this morning.  I MEAN CONTINUOUSLY !!!!! I have had several clients here already.  I am on the last blanket in the dryer and then I will repack all the camping linens in vacuum seal bags and put it away.  The  clothing laundry is done, well except for the ton of ironing all the laundry created.  That is a worry for another day.

Daughter #1 called us while we were in port and told us she had gotten a huge raise and now makes more than her husband.  It was because of the death threats she has been receiving.  Who knew?  IF you want to make big money as a prosecutor just get death threats in the mail on a regular basis. We actually ran into a young man in the hot tub that was from TwinFalls and he told us he was with the sheriff's department, I asked him if he knew of our daughter and the first thing he mentions is the death threat letters.  SO I think she is getting guarded well, but still has to be aware and careful.

We have many trips to take this fall before Thanksgiving and the Christmas, so we are trying to figure that out. The first is a trip down to see Hub's folks in the next couple of weeks, just a check up trip.  I need to replace all the meals I cooked up and froze for mom as she has used them all.  Need to take her to buy a couple of warmer shirts and sweaters, and another winter dress.

I have a list of things I really need to get done this month and I will put it in my pages.  I think with as many things as we need to get done I need to make a list so they do get done by the time September is over.

I have at least 4 wedding dresses coming in, in the next two days and that is just from today's phone calls, plus a slew of pants to hem.  I think I was missed.

So my goals for today are to:

1. finish laundry

2. put all bedding back in vac cum bags and store

3. water flowers

4. make dinner ( first time in about 12 days)

5. Get at least 15 pairs of pants done in the shop

6. be the designated driver for the girls tonight

I am trying to break myself back into the shop slowly, but I don't think that is going to be possible.

I miss my Sissie dreadfully as she usually comes out this time of year to join the girls, but she is having major house renos done and can't leave.

I also miss my Slug, she is like a sister to me.  How does one meet a person through blogging and then they fit into your life like a beloved well worn sweater?  Amazing find I tell you!

I will try to catch up on blogs, I missed you guys!

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

Kim

Friday,Notes, free meds!

Good Note, When I went to my specialist appointment yesterday, I let them know the frustration I was having with the new prescription policy.  The fact that my most expensive med must now be mailed to me rather than picked up at the pharmacy with other meds.  

I had finally gotten through to the new program people and had obtained a fax number and a web site for my physician to call.  What a mess.  But in the mean time I was completely out of this med.  I did have its alternative Size that could be taken twice a day And I had enough of that to get through the rest of the month, while my doctor battled the authorization demons.  He was disgusted with this new program which is only there to save them money and screw the consumer as usual.  He went and brought out two bottles and gave them to me as he did not want me to miss a dose.

This is almost $10,000  worth of medication and now I will be two months ahead!  If I can I will try and get  a couple every time I visit.  But I will make sure there is no one else that needs it, I don't want to take from those who can't afford to pay.  My big worry is that with in two years I will be off the State insurance provided by my husband's old job and I will have to go on a supplement plan for SSI and that is when the problems start.  These SSI insurance plans do not like to cover expensive meds and it can be months of fighting to get them authorized. I JUST PLAN ON BEING AHEAD OF THE GAME IF I can!

DO any of you remember a few years back when I had 16 syringes or $16,000 dollars worth of another drug that I could not continue taking and even though it was sealed and never used the CHAZ clinic (a clinic for the poor and under insured) could not take it?  A public health doctor from the Dominican Republic heard me argueing with  the employee that it was still good and so expensive, couldn't someone in the clinic use it?  No, against there policy and probably for a good reason.  Anyway  that doctor came out and took it from me and said, 'I am going to my country next week and I will take this where there are not so many stupid laws." I was thrilled. 

On a bad note we are socked in so bad with ash and smoke another bad fire outside of town with evacuations, occurred last night and we are just breathing toxic air right now.

I did go over to Lil sis's last night for a pool dip, but we kept is short as she had a place to be and the air quality was horrid.  Thank goodness as I have had a real hard time breathing since then, so aggravating.

 Isn't this picture awful? This is our valley and the fire is right over the hill.

View off the back deck, and yes it has been much worse.

Now on a good note:Hubs and I have been driving by a tree everyday that was broken badly in our last wind storm.  It was laden with fruit and Hubs said they were apples, but I insisted they were nectarines.  Well we stopped and I asked the man mowing if we could pick the fruit off the badly broken branch  (you will notice I DID NOT SEND HUBS) and he said sure!  They were nectarines!  I love them and we picked 40 lbs off that one big branch.

Now these are a little green, but still snappy and sweet enough to eat.  We plan on separating  them into too green and we will let them to ripen in a large bowl we will take to the lake and then we will dry the rest.  One of my projects for the day.

 

Another good note: We actually got 9 eggs today and we have 13 chickens so production is increasing.  They are still pullet eggs and will be for a few more weeks.  But soon we will have at least a dozen eggs a day.  I plan on selling whatever I can't give to family and friends.  Even they will have limits on how many eggs they can keep. This will help off set the cost of the feed.  Many of my sewing clients will buy fresh eggs.

 Bad Note: I have to go out and clean the car that I DID NOT DO YESTERDAY. I was a bit lazy ad just enjoyed not having anything pressing.  My last wedding dress was picked up, and the costume was picked up, I only have 2 pairs of jeans and some wedding attire to be picked up today.  I FEEL SO BLESSED I TELL YOU! Because of the air quality I will do this in the garage which will be hotter than outside.  Oh well it must be done.

Any plans for the weekend?  Have you had any good notes?  Or bad notes?

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

Kim

 

 

Thursday, another chart, Thrifty Thursday

 Another chart bites the dust, which makes me ahead of every other year that I have used these. I don't know if this trend will continue as I am going to be gone for the next two weeks with no sewing.  I do know I will have plenty of people waiting for me when I get back, but the shop although there are projects in there is pretty darn empty. So I am onto chart 18 and that is the completion of the 9th month.  Who knows what the future will bring. This has been a bang up bridal season and my busiest month in the past before COVID has been October!

I sewed until 6:30 last night as many of the things I wanted to get done were much harder than I thought they would be. I just persevered.  I was determined to be done! The last bridal dress was just picked up and I only have one small costuming job to finish.  I hope it goes easy. I actually got a skirt of mine lengthened this morning and I am going to hem a pair of long shorts for hubby from a pair of pants that shrunk.  Looky me! Getting things done for myself. The costume I forgot was coming in this week but it is pretty minor.  SO I have three more pick ups and I am done.

I have a specialist appointment today at 1:00 and I am hoping he can wrangle the insurance as they have insisted that my expensive med be delivered via mail and it is not here yet!

My plan is to get into the shop and finish that costume and then give the car a thorough scrub.  But of course it is going to be 108 here and who wants to be out in the hot sun scrubbing a car?  Me I guess...

I can't beleive that I am not going to be sewing right up to the moment we leave.  I actually have almost 4 days to plan my vacations.  It is so novel.  But I do have to laugh at myself, as a group of baseball players were in yesterday with ripped uniform pants which I mended on the spot as they had a game and I told them I WAS LEAVING!!!!!  They were like, "But what if we need you?" I told them to stock up on safety pins or quit sliding into home.

Thrifty Thursday:

1. saved all my spare change in the pig bank.

2. saved all my $5 dollar bills  total now $ 1715.00 or $45.00 this last week

3. saved a $1,$5,$10,$20 bill

4. saved money in my 100 envelope challenge

5. Cooked most meals from scratch, but did get fast food twice this week, I was just so wiped out from sewing and grandkids.

6. Using onions, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash from mine or various gardens.

7. accepted foods from daughter who had extra.

8. shortened a pair of pants for hubs

9. Used coupons at Joanns

10. downloaded  receipts to Fetch.

11. did not grocery shop at all this week but will pick up a few things on sale for our trip to lake.

12. fed all food scraps to chickens.

13. getting about 6 eggs a day now from chickens

Over all not a great week for saving money in small ways, but the shop was booming and I am able to put a good chunk into the savings account, gaurenteeing that our cruise and vacation  at the lake are fully paid for.  Yippee!

Have a you saved money in any ways this week?

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

Kim

Wednesday, So blessed, ticking off the list!

 I know I sound like a broken record, but I can't believe how much less stress I have right now looking at the shop.  I had my final try on with a bride and I have to finish her up and then she will pick up in the morning.

Two more brides have picked up this morning and I have one more due out this afternoon.  I did not get some of the things done on the list yesterday as I did other items out of order, but if I can get my butt in gear, I should be done with everything except pick up's. I feel so blessed.

Hubs is up watching Oliver today so the house is quiet.  Well except for people calling non stop and people picking up.

I went over to Lil sis's pool last night about 8:00 and just floated around in the dark until about 9:30.  It was so nice.  We had another triple digit day and it was a great way to cool off from the day and I just came home and slept so well.

D#2 and I made up a menu for our days at the lake.  We are using things we have in the freezers and cooking together.  All we have to buy is some cold drinks, which are on a good sale right now, and chips, and I think we are done.  Well I am thinking maybe some more chocolate bars for smores. I am doing large breakfasts as they last most of the day and then you can have a sandwich or snack if you get hungry mid day, and then we will have daughter and I do dinners.  Less work less clean up  if we work together. Since I have a large bag of blueberries, I will do blueberry pancakes, scones, blue berry cobbler, and muffins.  NO one gets sick of blueberries thank goodness. I also have a large bag of hash browns and I will cook those up there.  I am really trying to clean out the freezer.

I really want to get my car cleaned out as my lovely grandsons spilled rootbeer in the back seat.  I plan on getting that shampooed and cleaned out this week. Anyway here is my list for today.

1. finish bride dress

2. alter bridesmaid dress

3. alter mother of the bride dress

4. hem pants

5. shorten shirt sleeves

6. hem 2 pairs of jeans

7. hem 2 pairs of jeans

8. alter another bridesmaid dress

I think that is it!  I so hope to have this done today. I JUST WANT TO CONCENTRATE ON OTHER THINGS!!!!!

Thanks for all the well wishes on my posts about saying no, with your help I may just be able to live a some what normal life.  Keep it up ladies.  I am a work in progress.

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

Kim

Tuesday, so proud to me!

 Well I am so proud to me.  This is what our eldest daughter used to say when she was little.  Or she would say, 'I am so proud to you."  SO it is a family thing we all do now.

I have turned down so much work, and it is getting easier and easier.  I will have a boatload of work coming in when I get back but that is okay.  Right now I just don't want the pressure.

Even thought we had the kids here yesterday, Hubs was able to get  his fish smoked and I was able to get quite a bit of sewing done.  Hubs tried really hard to take as much of the brunt of the babies.  I actually have 4 of the 5 wedding dresses almost done.  It is just having them tried on and cutting the top layer while people are in the dress. Or adjusting straps,  small things that I need to do once they get here.  So I feel very smug and some relief.

Now I am not out of the woods, until the dresses are picked up, but I can see light. After the babies left yesterday I took a two hour nap, as I had gotten up at 6:30 with them and hubs slept until 8:00.  He also napped with babies.  After I got up I thoroughly cleaned the house and mopped the floors.  Also did a couple of loads of laundry. KIDS CAN DESTROY A HOUSE SO FAST!  With both babies crawling there are slime trails every where.

I just felt such a sense of satisfaction last night when I realized I knew how much I had left to do and no more. It is an amazing feeling.

So today I have to:

1. run to Joanns for bridal cord as I am out.

2. call all brides to pick up

3. finish a bustle on one (need cord)

4. Alter the final wedding dress and call for fitting

5. hem two pairs of jeans

6. hem two pairs of jeans

7. hem a pair of pants

8. alter a flower girl dress and fix another dress

9. alter bridesmaid dress

10. alter a man's coat sleeves

I hope I can get all this done today.  My house is clean and I feel free of distractions, which is good. After I finish this list all I have is a sport coat to shorten the sleeves on,and a mother of the bride and one more bridesmaid.  Then I can concentrate on the trips.

Well I am off!  Who knew that saying no could make me feel so good!

Have a great and producible day staying positive while you are int he negative.

Kim

Monday, Getting things done!

 Lil Sis gave our Oliver his first haircut and he looks so old now.  More like a little boy not a baby.  Looks even more like his daddy.

I have turned down at least 6 sewing jobs this morning.  Some will wait until I get back but others will have to punt.  I am done.

Hubs started smoking kokone this morning so the whole place smells like a smoker.  After all the fire land smoke this is slightly different.  Actually a little more pleasant.

I am going to try and get a few things done today in the shop and mostly work on wedding dresses.  If I can get these done, I will feel like I can tackle the rest. 

1. bustle, fix straps, and darts on a wedding dress

2. hem a wedding dress

3. alter the sleeves and put straps and a bustle on a wedding dress

4. fix cap sleeves, hem and bustle a wedding dress

5. alter a wedding dress for a fitting

 If I can get 3 of these done today I will be thrilled.  I am going to time myself to see how long each job takes me so I can have a little fun.  Okay my kind of fun is a little stilted, but...

Got on line and the phone and finally  got our excursions planned for the cruise.  Thank goodness Slugs has her head on straight, as I do not.  Still have to get hubs through the covid test website.

Hubs is building an attachment for the back of our truck to put the kayaks on, so we can still put a 4 wheeler in the back if needed.  Right now they are not allowing 4 wheelers in the wood, so we won't be taking Nates up with us, but this way we could load both if needed.

I have a busy week ahead of me and I need to get to work.

What are you plans for the week?  Any thing fun?  Any projects? Anything you are dreading?

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

Kim

Sunday, day of rest!

Here is a picture of my sweet grandson Oliver on his first birthday.  He has the prettiest blue eyes like his daddy.  We love him so much.

 

Here is our Oliver on a rocking horse his other grandma got for him at a yard sale.  I love my daughter's in laws.  They are so much like Hubs and I.  I love that she would pick up something like this at a yard sale.  Isn't it sweet.

Yesterday, hubs and I and our two daughters and the grand-kids all went to Lil sis's new pool and we had a blast.  Schmills especially had a good time.  We stayed for a couple of hours and then came home.

We also really cleaned the garage yesterday and it is so nice right now I just want to stay out there.  But we had a little reprieve from the heat.  It was only about 80 yesterday morning, don't worry by the time we left Lil sis's it had climbed to 100.  

We have regrinds who needed to store freezers as they had sold tier property and have not been able to purchase a new place yet. They moved them in late yesterday afternoon, so we really needed to get the garage cleaned up and organized.

It was a lovely Saturday, other than they were out of donuts at the store.  So I settled for pastries.

 Today, we are having two missionaries over for dinner.  Only 2!  We are having baked pork chops, garlic mash potatoes, corn on the cob, squash, popovers, and brownies with cream cheese frosting and strawberry ice cream. But right now I am going to go take a nap!

Is Sunday a day of rest for you or just a regular day of the week? Do you honor the Sabbath or a Sabbath?  I am not judging at all, just wondering?  I find whether you are doing it for religious purposes or not, taking one day a week and just trying to really keep it more peaceful helps with my life.

Have a restful and peaceful Sabbath.

Kim

Saturday, yesterday was a cluster

 Okay not my best picture, considering no makeup and just getting in from watering in the wind, but I thought you should see what the lab did to me yesterday.  Yes, 4 blown veins and finally after mining they drew blood from the 5th stab on my wrist.  I am bruised all over.  The final stab was so bad, usually I have no problems, and yes I was hydrated. I just kept blowing in and out slowly, to keep from passing out.  I have a high pain tolerance, but this was over the top. Next time I will call a Vampire.

I was there 2.5 hours and Hubs felt sorry for me when I got home and got me Taco Time for dinner.  I had to go into the lab fasting (only black coffee, water, or diet soda, which one do you think I drank?) so by the time I got there I did not get to eat until about 4:30.  I was hungry, irritable, cranky, crabby, disgusted,verklempt, you name it.  Did I get to any wedding dresses?  No but I did get the military out and those *&^%$# curtains hung and I called it a day.

 By the  way I am now turning down all work.  I am behind and I will be lucky to finish what I have next week. I will actually get some sewing done today. Lil sis's pool is open so we are going over for a swim and I hope to come home and sew for a while.  We will see.

I am grateful that  4 of the 5 wedding dresses are not complicated jobs.  I have a mother of the bride, 4 bridesmaids, one sport coat to shorten sleeves on and then some piles.  The piles are pant hemming which is always fast and easy.  I can do this, but no more!  Kim is done.  She needs to plan, and pack and build up her blood supply, pass the donuts please.

I can't update my side bars the little thingy that you click is gone?  Any of you having trouble with this?  I have not put in may last 3 charts and updated my info.

Well small aggravation,  Have a great Saturday.  Doing anything fun?

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

Kim

Friday, no good deed goes unpunished, another chart!

 Okay I am now back on track with charts.  About two a month, but then leaving on a vacation in a week and then the cruise will put a dent in the savings.  Oh well a vacation is needed here my friends.

Hubs and D#2 are at a funeral this morning and I am home with Oliver, who is his cranky self.  Right now he is eating a cracker and is not crying, Lord be praised.

I had three wedding dresses picked up yesterday and still have 5 more to do.  I thought it was 4 but I found another on lurking.  I can do this.

Yesterday, was an all day sew and I still have not gotten my prescriptions which I need to go get, and I have to pick up a script at the clinic, and then I have to get blood work done.  I don't have time for all this run around crap.

Now before I tell you this Kim story you all must promise not to berate me in the comments as I am a sensitive soul.  Not a smart soul, but a sensitive soul. Promise?

I tried to do those curtains the 100 year old client had cut, but they were very bad and I had to guess.  I finally got them to her last night about 7:00 and had another long visit.  Two of the curtains were too tight to go over her rods at one end due to her cutting skills. How do I know this?  Well... because I tried them which means I went to her garage pulled out a ladder and took down the old curtains. Yes I did that and yes they did not fit and yes, they needed to be ironed , not that she could see that.  So (sew) I had to come back home with them and fix those two ends, and yes I will press them and return them for another 1 hour visit and then yes I agreed to hang all four panels, as she was going to do it herself, and I could not be responsible for a 100 year old woman on a ladder. I brought curtains home and Hubs reply, was, "No good deed goes unpunished."  Smart A$$.  Because I have all the time in the world to do this right?  NO comments please, sensitive remember?

SO today this is the list:

1. get blood work done

2. pick up script

3. pick up prescriptions

4. go check on elderly widow and take her a large diet coke, as I have not visited in three weeks, just too busy and as I am in her neighborhood for blood work, well....

5. get blouses for militarily done first thing. 

6.maybe some laundry as I started it.

7. fix and press curtains and deliver and hang.... no comment.

8.send a smart alack comment to Slug to keep heron her toes. 

9.get started on wedding dress I ripped and call for a fitting.

10. start another wedding dress and hopefully finish

11. start another wedding dress and hopefully finish

Yes that is it, let's go!!!!!

I need a new life.

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

Kim

 

Thursday, plugging along, Thrifty Thursday

 My oh my is the air bad here.  You can hardly see across the valley.  It has been worse, but it looks like a bad storm is coming in.  You don't have to wear sun glasses and it has not reached 90 today due to smoke.  This is the first afternoon below 100 in weeks.

I am tired of sewing on white.  But it must be done.  I have also been turning down work so you will be proud of me for that. I was able to rip into 4 dresses yesterday and two more have been picked up today. So I think that leaves  3 more I have not touched and 8 more to be picked up.  I have two ready to be pressed and picked up and my goal for today is to finish 2 dresses, get another ready for a fitting and possibly start another.  But I also have to do those curtains for the elderly lady and of course deliver and visit.  Then I have two army blouses due out tomorrow.  I will stop on wedding things and get those things done.

My goal was to get all dresses done by Friday but that is not going to happen.  Then there are the piles which must be done before I leave. Hubs is out fishing today and he left early this morning. I hope they can get above the smoke where they are going. He is feeling better, but has developed a cough with this cold.

I ran out of bridal looping and had to make a run to Joanns, also have two prescriptions to pick up that were not ready.... Frustrations abound.  I am on limited time and then I have to wait for others to get there act together.  I bet that never happens to you right?

Made a nice dinner for hubs yesterday and he was out getting worms and realized that he had to be at the High School earlier than he had thought, so he was going to get a burger and head for the school, I was irritated! As I had stopped sewing to spend an hour making a dinner he could and would not be eating.  HE will be home late tonight so will probably eat it tomorrow.  He also sent me a message this morning to feed and water the chickens. I don't mind that but anything that takes time away from my sewing is a sore spot right now.

Thrifty Thursday:

1. put all spare change into my pig bank

2. saved a $1,$5,$10,$20 bill

3. saved money in my 100 envelope challenge

4. saved all my $5.00 bills now up to $1670.00 for the year. or $60.00 this last week

5. if you are saving a penny for the day of the year you will need to put $78.38 in your bank for August

6. Did not eat out all week

7. bought nothing this week for groceries, no good loss leaders

8. Used a coupon at Joanns

9. cooked all meals at home from scratch.

10. Accepted food stuffs from daughter that she picked up at a food bank that would go to waste

11. fed scraps to chickens.

12. We are now getting 5-6 eggs a day some are still pullet sized.

13. getting some tomatoes and cucumbers from garden but it is slow

14. picked lots  of onions and Lil sis and daughter took some for their houses.

15. Made grandsons birthday dinner with leftovers frozen after 4th of July.  Hot dogs, hamburgers, buns, then made salads from garden and had people bring things.  No cost!

16.was able to use many items from leftover bridal materials that I have kept from dresses done preciously.  I then use and charge the client.  More money for Kim plus it saves them money.

What have you done this week to save money.  Anything unusual?  I found no spare change this week... sad.

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

Kim

Wednesday, Running with scissors!

 Yes and I am in a short skirt with pink high heels.  Really I don't own a pair of pink high heels, but I think Sluggy and I will buy some on our cruise if we can find them.  Stay tuned for pictures.....

I was a sewing demon yesterday.  I actually was able to complete 4 wedding dresses, and start another and then another.  So my plan is to have all wedding dresses done by Friday.  That way I can attack the piles and the bridesmaid dresses.

I was doing hand work on the a wedding dress last night about 8:30, and a car drove up and I thought who can possibly be coming to the shop this late?  It was the missionaries and they were returning the crockpot I had delivered a meal in on Sunday.  They had a pair of suit pants that needed to be let out and one of them had a bad rash on the inside of his arms where his short sleeve shirts had been brushing in the elbow crease.  This is a condition that is experienced here during the extreme heat.  A rash from sweat is caused as the fabric rubs.  I see it in policemen and people who have to wear uniforms.  So I had him take it off and shortened the sleeves and fixed the pants. As I had been working with wedding dresses all the day the floor was covered with pearls, sequins and threads and I knew I would have to thoroughly vacuum as we had Kelsa today.  SO they did my vacuuming and washed the dinner dishes as I fixed the clothes.  Missionary felt so much better when he put the shirt back on and it was not rubbing that rash. I call that a good trade.

Also yesterday, I had a client call me, who is 100 years old.  She is amazing, but is losing her eye sight.  She needed 4 curtain panels shortened.  You should see how she cut them.  Anyway I told Hubs I was running to her house and I would be back in about 10 minutes.  Well an hour later I was back and he was laughing at me.  I said that wasn't 10 minutes was it?  He said anytime you go to pick up something or do any work for the elderly it is never 10 minutes because they have to visit.  I realized he was right.  We had a nice visit and I cleaned some spots off her carpet where she had spilled something and she could not see it, plus looked at the bedroom she was redoing.  Why Kim gets behind......  I would not have gone and done this to someone I did not know well, but I have done her sewing for over 30 years.  Amazing she was 70 and now 100.  WOW I hope I can be like her.

Daughter came in last night with a ton of food.  Corn, frozen lasagna, a large salad, breads, squash. All things she picked up from a food bank on the prairie.  She stopped there as they were closing.  She said there was so much food left.  It makes me sick that more people don't use this blessing.  Even if they don't need to financially, at least it isn't going to the garbage.

SO today I am going to continue on wedding dresses and see if I can get another 3 done or at least ready for fittings.  I have a fitting today and 2 pick ups tomorrow.  Get these suckers out of here.

The downside to getting so much sewing done is that other things don't get done, like cleaning, getting money envelope filled, although I will try and do this today. Also no grocery shopping as the sale papers had nothing and I have to eat thorough the food we have here.

Well I am off to find my scissors! Are any of you behind on anything?

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

Kim

Tuesday, Finally blogger up and running, new chart!

 Another chart bites the dust. This is the 8th month and I think I will fill another before we leave which will put me at 16 for the year, or an average of two a month.  So I think I am back on track , or things are regaining normalcy after covid. 

Still fighting the cruise line over a covid website, but it is a work in progress.  And I feel like yesterday was a cluster.  Although I did get into 4 wedding dresses, not one is done.  A couple are going to be finished with hand work, and then I want to finish another today, maybe two more. I have a second fitting tomorrow on another.  Just plugging along.

I also need to get my garage cleaned out as a friend in bringing over freezers.  But it is so blooming hot out that getting in there is just not happening.  The air quality here is really bad.

Kelsa is feeling better.  She has this wee foot thing.  We call it her magic foot it has to be in every picture.  She is a messy eater. And we start this family early on beans, all my kids ate beans and never complained about them. I was so busy at Oliver's party I got no pictures, but I am going to download some for tomorrow.  He is such a cutie.

Kelsa stayed with her aunt Kelly yesterday and I guess she was a joy or so I am told.

I was so happy to get bills paid and some of the cruise stuff finished. I also was able to get some housework done.

Now today I am going to just concentrate on sewing.  I hope to get a heap o work done!  At least enough to make me feel like I will be able to conquer this mess. More work is coming in, but I am trying to discourage people and ask them to wait until I get back. Having things hanging in the shop  even if they are not due out, stresses me. Also I may have to turn down some work that is just the way it is.

I am running with scissors my faithful readers.  Can someone please stop me?  Or try?

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

Kim

Monday, crazy computer

 I have now called Sluggy 3-4? times and I am still not registered with the cruise lines.  Well I am but hubs is not, hopefully the young man who was helping me is going to call me back.  I do have other work to do today.  All I can do is shake my head.

Oliver's birthday was great, I was very tired after the party.  We took James back to his mom yesterday it was a 7 hour round trip drive.

Kelsa has an ear infection, but seems to be tolerant of it. Hubs has a very bad head cold (not covid) so he is a drippy cranky mess.  He does not do cold or allergy meds well.  I feel sorry for him but also want to strangle him.  No matter how patient I am he is still a grouch and he is usually such an easy going man.

I have so many things to get done today, I can't even begin.  But I do have to pay a few bills, that is mandatory.

I just keep telling myself one step at a time, it will get done.

1. pay bills

2. get cruise line crap figured out

3. try not to call Sluggy again as I do value her friendship

4. clean my kitchen

5. restore dining room 

6. clean family room

7. wedding dress

8. wedding dress

9. bridesmaid dress

10.wedding dress 

My frustration level at an all time high.  But I am just going to give up on the return phone call for now and get to work.

How many of you love getting caught in the phone tree of life?  Please put a # mark at the end of the comment.....

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

Kim

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