December update

Well, a month has gone by since my last post. Not a whole lot to report on. Except that I now have a new sewing machine! In fact, we're leaving tomorrow for Mesa AZ for the holidays and I'm bringing the new machine and my Janome Sew-Mini with me to AZ and will leave the Sew-Mini there for my daughter and granddaughters to use. I hope to teach the older one a bit about sewing.

The machine I bought is a Brother CS-770, which doesn't have any reviews I can find. I bought it at Hancock Fabrics on sale. It's computerized, and has a lot more fancy stitches on it than I'll ever use (I do have an embroidery machine, you know).

Hope you all have peace and joy this holiday season!

New toy!

Time for the monthly update!

Since I posted last, I've been playing with my new serger, but the biggest news is that last Sunday I bought a brand new embroidery machine! It's a Brother PE-770. It has over 100 designs in the machine and has a USB port for a memory stick so I can transport designs from my computer to the machine.

I've also been acquiring free patterns from the web. You would not believe the amount of free machine embroidery patterns there are out there!

Also have gotten a digitizer program (also free with purchase of 5 patterns). I have successfully digitized a logo for one of the organizations my hubby belongs to. Hopefully they'll want to embroider it on shirts and caps, but my machine isn't equipped for caps yet (it requires a special attachment).

Back home again!

After leaving Humble TX (where the reunion was), I drove to an IHOP in Houston to meet with my sister and brother-in-law before we went different directions to go home.

LOL! I now know why the chemistry teacher remembered my brother-in-law! He was at BIL's reunion two years ago and BIL spoke with him! I had not known this, and the ex-teacher said nothing about it.

Anyhow, I'm back home again!

Happy stitching!

After Chain Link!

No, I have not dropped off the face of the earth. I am still alive and well and living in Louisiana!

We had a marvelous time in NY and Virginia. Hubby found he likes the EAS much better than the AHP, so we'll be going east for meetings for a while. Next year his will be in Boone NC, but I doubt that's where Chain Link will be, unless they decide on Charlotte or Raleigh. I don't think it's ever been in NC, but there's always hope!

I won't post any pictures of chain link here because they're all on my flickr site! To see them, please go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybee_51

Before going to Chain Link I bought a serger on sale at Hancock Fabrics. The serger has been working fine, but I wish the store would have offered classes on what to do with it!

I also got my old Kenmore sewing machine running! At first it wouldn't zigzag like it was supposed to. I was about to take it to the repair shop when my hubby asked to see it, having a suspicion that it needed oiling. He opened up the top, wiggled a few things around and then found the part that needed oil! After applying the machine oil, he wiggled the offending part back and forth several times to loosen it up. I'm happy to say that the machine is now working just fine! He sure saved me a big repair bill!

Right now I'm typing this while at a high school reunion of sorts. It's an annual thing put on by one of my classmates. One of the attendees I'm showing here was my chemistry teacher when I was in high school. I mentioned my brother-in-law's name and he actually remembered him!

Buffalo, here I come!

Tomorrow, hubby and I are leaving by car for Buffalo NY, where I will be attending the summer Knit & Crochet Show!

I am going as a member of the Crochet Guild of America. I have been crocheting up a storm so I can have things to wear at the events that are planned.

If you're in the Buffalo area and would like a fun place to go, the show is being held at the Buffalo Niagara Convention Center. The market area will be open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, August 7-9. There will be crochet and knitting classes offered, some now sold out. I'll be taking 5 classes, one on dyeing yarn blanks, and two classes each on knitting and crochet.

Hopefully I will be able to post some pictures of the events, as I will be taking my laptop with me.
Stay tuned!

Home again!

Mom improved so much during my stay that I was able to come back home on Monday, July 13.
Her car, however, wasn't so lucky. It broke down 3 times last Thursday. I was driving, Mom was the passenger. We decided to call an AAA wrecker on the advice of my sister, who came to pick up Mom and take her to her home until the wrecker could get there.

I had to wait for the wrecker, but I was lucky in that we were close to a Pizza Hut and I was allowed to wait there for the wrecker.

All that was wrong with it was an over-heating logic chip.

Mom got her car back yesterday and will try to drive it Friday when she goes to the beauty shop.

Mom Update #3

Mom is doing a lot better than I thought she would.

I arrived Thursday evening in Lockhart. My sister had picked her up from the hospital and were already at Mom's apartment when I got here.

Last night Mom had her first shower after getting home, but I had to help her in and out of the tub and dry her off.
This morning, after a good night's sleep, she felt better and even managed to cook her own breakfast!

She still gets tired quickly and has to take naps frequently, but hopefully her strength will improve daily.
I still don't know how long I'll be here, but my sister did need a break after all the driving back and forth she's done lately.