MadQuilter

Leta, that is actually my concern. I don't like DH's cooking and he apparently isn't very trainable. I also don't mind the cooking/like it in fact. He has a few dishes he fixes well but that gets old real fast. lol

I have to look at this from a non-selfish angle. Pat worked hard and he deserves to be retired. End of story (as I'm hyperventilating in my own little world).

Keeping my fingers crossed for a successful transition into a fitting new job.

Krystyna

Good morning, ladies! Sorry I've been away for so long. Life has a way of intruding on my quilting time! One huge change for me has been a diabetes diagnosis. Frankly, I'm not too surprised since my mother had it at about my age and, sad to say, the pounds have been creeping up on me. My doctor was no help at all aside from saying gastric sleeve surgery would be good. (Isn't that the normal way to deal with diabetes?) So my husband and I have both started a ketogenic program and will travel from New York to Durham, NC to visit a doctor at Duke University.

Since it's my birthday month ... and there's an exemption, isn't there? -- any good fabric shops in Durham?

Now, onto the good stuff.

PaperPrincess, I love, love, love those little quilts. So sweet!

Martina, I'm so sorry about your pup. A devastating loss for those of us who have furbaby companions.

Leta, I hope things improve for you. Finances are always such a tough trial to sort out. Prayers for you!

Retirement. My husband retired at the end of the year. It was an adjustment having him around the house, but we've worked it out. The Dave Ramsey program of budgeting really helps a lot. Except we don't use it. Ha! I was an avid couponer and generally got our groceries at 70% off or less. My deep freeze is full and my pantry is bursting, however, most of it is going to the church pantry because I can't eat it and control diabetes and lose weight. We are fortunate that my husband had a municipal job and they offered a nice retirement buyout. Nonetheless, being frugal is a way of life for many. Husbands cooking? Hahahaha! Not in this lifetime. BUT he does do the dishes and I appreciate that a lot. And he folds the laundry.

Now, quilting from my stash. You'll remember (maybe) that I made 25 quilts for the NICU at a local hospital. Never got a thank you note for tax purposes until they came asking through my friend for a crib sized one for a raffle. I told her, send the the note and then I'll start quilting. Note came but I was so annoyed (not nice, I know) that I was determined to sew from my stash. So ... here it is. A pennant quilt with almost no quilting. Maybe I'll get a thank you this time.

elly66

Good luck Leta. Sounds very promising.
Krystyna Lovely quilt. I hope you get a thank you card.

rryder

Leta- good luck with the job prospect. I hope it works out for you.

Krystyna- I like that quilt. Diabetes runs in my family too, and I've been working hard trying to keep my A1C down. It seems to be harder and harder to lose those extra pounds. I hope the Duke program works out for you.

Martina and everyone else dealing with retirement- DH and I both retired early due to factors beyond our control and though the finances were very worrisome at first, we were able to work it out. Now we're both very happy to have time to do all those things that we had set aside when our careers became so demanding.

Rob

letawellman

Thank you for the good luck wishes and prayers everyone - I should find out tomorrow about the job. In the meantime, I had a few other calls today for other opportunities - some of them paying more, some paying less, some closer (OMG, I would LOVE to not have an hour commute!!), some about the same distance, some of them contract work (average 12-18 months) some permanent. So, I think I can expect something to come along very soon.

Krystyna, you have my prayers. Diabetes is a very insidious disease that just does not get all the attention it needs for funding and research. I'm NOT saying that cancer, etc., research is not important, it's just that a lot of people don't realize that diabetes is somewhat of a "gateway" disease that tears you down so you become more susceptible to other illnesses. Diabetes is rather prevalent in my family tree, but I actually have the opposite - hypo-glycemia - which has it's own set of issues to deal with as well.

And Krystyna, about the "thank you's"... oh honey, don't hold your breath!! If they haven't responded by now, they're not going to!

My sister-in-law asked me yesterday would I make a baby quilt for her new great-grandbaby. I told her I could make a custom one, at cost (not charging her labor) and told her the average price; I also showed her the Dr. Seuss that I'm almost finished with (it's nearly a twin size), and I showed her a wall hanging that I have. Again, I told her my cost as the price. "Well, I'll think about it," and she kind of turned her nose up in the air. I don't know, maybe she expected me to GIVE IT TO HER for FREE?!?!? Sheesh, and here I am, out of work, and she's getting 8-12 hours of OT every week.

You just cannot please some people.

Krystyna

Well, I did get the thank you for the 25 quilts. Not holding my breath on the last one. It would have been nicer quilted, but that's what I had time for.

Since I've been doing the ketogenic way of eating, my blood sugar has been great and I'm losing pounds and inches. The aches and pains in my hips, knees and back are gone. If anyone is interested, check out Keto Over 40 and Beyond on FB, Go Keto with Casey on Youtube, and the clinic where we're going at http://www.healclinics.com .

This morning I'm finishing off the comfort quilt that I purchased fabric for in March. So nice in cool in the basement!

letawellman

Well, crap.
I didn't get the job. They gave it to someone else who was already at the company. However, it was somewhat appeasing to be told that it was a very hard decision.

In the meantime, I got a call for another role (yes, got the call on a SATURDAY!!) I will be hearing on Monday about when they will be scheduling an interview later in the week. I also will need to call another hiring manager who knew that I was possibly expecting an offer, so I will reach out to him tomorrow.

In the meantime, we're doing gardening stuff, farm stuff, working on tractors, etc.,etc. And in an effort to keep from stressing too much, I've got my sights set on MQX New England 2018. I bought some wide backing (black) for the Lone Star. I think I'm still good on the moratorium end, as it was definitely needed for a finish. I had considered piecing some 45" fabric for this, then decided that since I'm planning to this going to the Show, I want it to be PERFECTAMUNDO - and I don't think a pieced back is going to give me what I want. So, I think I can claim an Moratorium exemption here on two points - I have to have it to finish this super-cali-fragi-listic-expi-ali-doshus Lone Star, and I also just HAD to have something "new" to cheer me up.

As I mentioned before, I'm also planning on entering the MQX Challenge (Janet-Lee's obsession with polka-dots is the catalyst for this). I had originally planned on using some leftovers from some children's quilts that I recently finished and was going to do it in the Metro Medallion pattern. But, after perusing the Challenge requirements (40" square), I'm going to have to rethink that, as the Metro Medallion just doesn't have enough "punch" in that small of a size. So, I checked to see just how many polka dot scraps/FQ's/strips I have, and found a different pattern that (once I enlarge it some) will work just fine for the Challenge. Which means that I'm now working on a total of 3 quilts that may (or may not) be ready in time. Because I am NOT going to let those Metro blocks end up being a UFO.

Speaking of UFO's, I'm not making much headway in that area. But still, other than the black backing for the Lone Star, everything is coming from my stash.
Now, if my specialty threads will come in, I'll be good for my "test run".

Cerise

Hi everyone,

I decided to jump in here. Remember when you were a newbie, and didn't have a fabric stash? I was that way a few weeks ago. Last weekend, I looked around and thought to myself, "Where did all this fabric come from?"

Fortunately, my fabric stash is not nearly as prolific as my yarn stash....yet.

Krystyna, sorry to hear about the diabetes diagnosis. I work in a hospital lab and see new diagnoses all the time. Good luck with your A1C.

Krystyna

Leta, the right job will come. Hang in there!

Cerise, welcome aboard!

Update on the hospital quilt - Apparently the pennant quilt was the big item at their raffle. I'm happy. Now there are potential customers who want me to make quilts from baby clothes or t-shirts. I don't do that. I told my friend who works there and she was shocked. She recently lost her husband and my only break from the fabric moratorium was to get fabric for a little lap quilt for her. I gave it to her yesterday when she was on her way to work. I told her to bring the quilt in with her to show them what nice people who write thank you's get. I suggested that perhaps I'd get orders that way. She asked how much would I charge. I told her I'd have to figure it out. She suggested $75! I don't think so. The fabric cost over $30, never mind the batting, thread, and my time. She was shocked again. People look at cheap quilts in Walmart and base their prices on that. *sigh* Anyway, here's her quilt.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]573444[/ATTACH]

rryder

I love the combination of blue patterns in that quilt, Krystyna!

Rob