PROTESTING THE PROTESTORS

 Watching the news today got me thinking.  It seems like every time someone gets shot by the police, there are people out there protesting for police reform.  The latest case involved a teenager wielding a knife against another female.   No doubt this was a black on black crime.  However, someone DID call the police, who responded in time to see the teenager about to stab the other person.  Police officer did the only thing he could do at that moment and that was to fire at the person wielding the knife.   He was protecting the life of the other person.

What was he supposed to do?  Let the other person get stabbed and possibly killed?   These people who are protesting the death of the knife-wielding teenager need to acknowledge the fact that if something hadn't been done, that person who was being threatened may have lost her life.

The protestors keep saying that something needs to be done to reform the police.   My suggestion is this:

If you think you can do a better job out there on the streets, let them put YOU in a uniform and then YOU can respond to trouble calls and see how YOU can do better than someone that has gone through weeks of training.  Split second judgment calls sometimes don't work out for the best, but they DO stop perpetrators and criminals from repeat offenses.

 

Ten years ago, I stopped blogging.  Not sure why, but I guess I was busy doing other things.  If you have had the fortunate experience of  meeting me in person, you'll know I'm not very talkative.  I write better than I speak.  My vocal vocabulary is a mixture of Tex-Mex and Cajun slang.  

In those ten years, I lost my mom (2016), and have acquired 6 cats, two of which are indoor-outdoor.  I've also taken up quilting and joined a local quilt guild.   Crochet is still one of my hobbies mixed with an occasional knitting project.  I also went on a quilting cruise, bought a new sewing machine, and then the above embroidery machine (Brother Persona PRS100). 

I've been safe from COVID-19, although some of my friends have gotten it.  Most recently both hubby and I got our COVID vaccines, so hopefully we're pretty much immune for at least 6 months.

You'll most likely see future posts whenever I have something to talk about.  

Pat H.

PR Weekend 2011

More pictures from PR Weekend in Chicago! Too many to post here, however, you can see them all here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybee_51/sets/72157626585557649

Chicago, here I come!

Plane leaves tomorrow at 1:17 PM, my large bag is packed, but I need to throw in a couple of things into the carry-on bag and everything will be ready to go!

Even after all I packed in that large pullman case, the bag weighed only 28 lbs. I have room enough for 12 lbs of fabric and/or yarn!

Camera is charged, so is cell phone. Will be taking pics and will try to post them from my laptop.

Train trip cancelled

Today I got the dreaded call from Amtrak saying my May 11 trip had been cancelled. Therefore, I am now booked on a flight out of Lafayette on Thursday, scheduled to arrive at Midway airport at 6:24 PM.

After I booked the flight, I called Amtrak, didn't have to wait long to speak to an agent, and cancelled the rest of my ticket. They're giving me a full refund.

Now I have an extra day to pack!

Writer's block?

Blah blah blah blah...this is what Charlie Brown's teacher always says when he's in school. Did teachers really sound that way? I'm wondering if it's because the cartoonist (bless his soul), didn't really know what he wanted the teacher to say.

Well, to keep matters simple, I'm at a lost for words, so that's why I started this post with "blah blah blah". Since I retired, my life has become a day to day existence. Nothing much exciting going on. When I travel, there's nothing really worth mentioning here. But at least I can take pictures and share some of the sites with you.

Be on the lookout in a few weeks for a few pics from my trip to Chicago. I'm leaving May 11 on Amtrak. That is, if the flooding in MO and IL has ceased. As of now, they are experiencing a disruption in service. No thru trains from Memphis to Carbondale IL. The train stops in Memphis, then turns around and comes back to New Orleans. The train that leaves Chicago stops in Carbondale, turns around and goes back to Chicago. This leaves the passengers who have tickets to Chicago in a fog. Is Amtrak busing them from Memphis to Carbondale and vice versa? What route would they take if all the roads are flooded? Does anyone know?

If you've been on the City of New Orleans recently and have experienced anything out of the ordinary, please let me know!

Hopefully in two weeks the flood waters will have abated.

Thomas tote

Thomas tote, a photo by ladybee_51 on Flickr.

This is one of the bags I made for my trip to Chicago on Amtrak. The other one will be available for sale while I'm on the train.

What Will They Think of Next?

After a week at my Mom's, I came home and had occasion to eat at a local restaurant. I found this in the ladies' room:

Now why didn't I think of that? In fact, when I saw this sink I knew I wanted one! Isn't it cool?
You can see the actual item in the restrooms at Agave Mexican Grill & Cantina in downtown Lafayette LA.

Alive and well!

Just thought I'd finally write a note to let you know I'm still around. Haven't felt like writing a whole lot. I did go on my cruise (there are a few pics on my flickr page), and I'll be going on another knitting cruise in November, but it will be on a different ship, different cruise line. New Orleans is getting Royal Caribbean's Voyager of the Seas in November, and I'll be on the first sailing out of New Orleans!

Hubby and I went on an Amtrak trip to AZ for the holidays. We stayed until Jan 2, then rode the train back to Lafayette. Here's a pic I took of our sleeper car:


Next week, I'm heading for Texas to visit my mom for a few days. She's 89, still lives by herself in an apartment, and doesn't drive any more. She has to depend on hired help to get her groceries, and once a week my sister goes and takes her places.

May 11, I'm taking the train again, without hubby, in order to attend this years PR Weekend which will be in Chicago. I'm driving to New Orleans to get on the "City of New Orleans". It arrives in Chicago the morning of May 12, and I'll leave Chicago on the 15th and arrive back in New Orleans on May 16.

Knitting wise, I did manage to finish a pair of socks last month. This is a pic of one of them:

Oh, I almost forgot! Hubby and I will be vacationing in Williamsburg VA in September! If you are in the Williamsburg area and would like a meet-up, please let me know!

Whew..I think I have told you what's been happening to me since I last posted. If I forgot anything, it will come to me, and I'll post about it later.

Pat H.

Latest bag & cruise

Here's one of my latest bags, but certainly not the last, as I have to take a picture of it!



I have this bag entered in a contest on one of the embroidery sites.

Now on to the cruise! Only 4 days to go! We have our boarding passes, passports, and luggage tags all ready to go! All that's left to do is getting my wardrobe in order. Today I'm going to attempt to make myself a skirt, but the fabric is thin and will need a slip to go under it. So I'll have to go find one! That means a trip to Walmart first, and from there who knows?

Totes a plenty!

Since I bought my embroidery machine and sewing machine, I've been using both for creating tote bags! I've been fortunate in that we have several sources for fabric in this area. When I spot a fabric that would look cute as a tote, I choose an embroidery design that works with it. The latest one is this one:


The one I finished before this was this one:


The totes I'm making will be part of my inventory for a craft show in November. I'm sharing a booth with another lady at the Omelet Festival in Abbeville. You can find out info on the Omelet Festival by going here:

http://www.giantomelette.org/

What's left after the festival will be available for sale on my Etsy site.

Knitting Cruise!

At long last, I'm going to go on a Caribbean cruise! I've booked passage on the Carnival Triumph through Vermilion Bay Yarn Co and the Travel Machine who are organizing the activities.

AND, I've talked my sister into going with me! The ship will dock in Key West, and she's always wanted to go there, but none of the cruises that she's been on with her hubby have gone there.
The ship will embark from New Orleans and stop in Key West before going on to Nassau and Freeport in the Bahamas.

I've been to Freeport TWICE, but flew both times. Hubby and I have a membership at a resort there (Ocean Reef). We use the membership for exchange through RCI. It will be interesting to see what changes have been made in Freeport since I was last there in 1995.

First day at sea will be class day. I am taking two classes, both taught by the yarn shop owner, Jason. One class will involve knitting a lace shawl, the other is on fixing mistakes.

Have you ever been on a knitting cruise? Let's hear your comments, if you have. What did you like or dislike about your cruise? I will tell you this that they've assigned us a balcony cabin on deck 6, which is right above Lido deck. I checked the layout and discovered that it's right above a night club! I hope it's not too noisy! Maybe my sister and I should bring ear plugs?

New pattern by me! Enjoy!

I've been making these for a local craft show.  Very simple, only four rounds.  Thought I'd give you the pattern so you can make your own if you need some quick items for a bazaar or fundraiser.



You will need:

Worsted weight cotton yarn, color of your choice
G hook

1.  Ch 4 (ch 3 counts as a dc), make 11 dc in 4th ch from hook, sl st in top of ch 3 to join.

2.  Ch 3, dc in same st, 2 dc's in each dc around.  Sl st in top of ch 3 to join.

3.  Ch 4, dc in next st, (ch 1, dc in next dc) around, end with ch 1, sl st in 3rd ch of the first ch 4 to join.

4.  Ch 1, sc in same st, 2 sc in next sp, (sc in next st, 2 sc in next sp) around, end with sl st in first sc, ch 10 for loop, sl st in same st, end off.

 

I fixed my embroidery machine!

For a while now, I'd been having problems with my threads shredding somewhere in the machine. I thought it was bad thread, but yesterday I found the culprit! With the help of hubby's LED flashlight, I was able to spot a loop of thread lurking in the hole of the take up lever. So, after enlisting the aid of a straight pin and my trusty tweezers, I was able to nab the varmint! It's now resting with it's buddies in file 13.

Also, I've been crocheting dishcloths to sell at a craft show in Nov. I'm working a booth with a friend of mine. We're both making different things so as not to compete with each other.

At long last, I'm posting again!

Yes! I'm back! I'm not sure what I'm going to be talking about in future posts. There are so many things I can expound on. I've learned out to use my embroidery machine for one thing. Also, I have a new sewing machine I've been having fun with.

If you'd like to see some of the things I've been making, you can visit my Flickr site:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ladybee_51

The latest thing I've made is a bag to take to bunco. I finished it in time for the monthly bunco night, however there were only 6 of us who showed up, so all we did was eat and talk. We have played with as few as 10 ladies before, and sometimes 9, but 6 is not enough (the ideal no. is 12).

Here's the pic of the pocket area of the bag:



Sorry it's so fuzzy. I used the zoom feature on my camera, and I guess my hand wasn't steady enough when I snapped the photo.

My mom isn't doing so well these days. It's a long story, but to make it short, she fell three times in one week, is recuperating from bruises, but is afraid to go anywhere because she's afraid she'll fall again due to a balance problem she's having. She's applied for home health, and she'll get that for 2 months while recuperating from her falls.

Now that I've gotten past writer's block, I'll be updating this blog more often.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

New items have been posted on my Etsy page since my last post! Today I added a totebag I finished today! It's the Chicken Bag!


See link at right if you wish to know more.

Message from flickr today

Woohoo! I received a message from flickr.com today announcing that Simplicity Patterns picked my photo of a project I made from their pattern for their flickr gallery. You can see it here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/simplicitypatterns/galleries/72157623722904916

I'm now on Etsy!

Today I created my very own Etsy shop! I have only 2 items listed so far, but will add more later.
You can find it at:

http://ladybee.etsy.com


P.S. Item #3 has been added!

March, 2010

It's almost Easter! Do you have a neat idea for Easter projects? I came across an easy one here:

http://www.favecrafts.com/Felt/Cross-Felt-Ornament

We're doing this at the Crafty Ladies of Lafayette gathering on Monday.

Also, I went to a seminar at Hancock Fabrics recently sponsored by Bernina. It was about the proper use of stabilizers, how to embroider on towels, baby items, etc.

I'm planning to visit my mom sometime in April, depending on when she can get an appointment for a medical procedure she needs to get done. She will need someone to drive her to the clinic on the day of the test, and having gone through this myself, I know what she'll be going through.
Hopefully the test will turn out negative.

Note 4/28/2010: Mom decided not to have the test done as it would be hard on her because of her age. I did go for a visit though. Had an uneventful trip.

Finally!

Wow! Where did January go? It's the middle of February already!

We made it to AZ and back okay, came back with bags of oranges from my daughter's trees (she has three of them in her back yard).

Did some embroidery on my new machine while we were there, also sewing with the new sewing machine.

Anyhow, I have a Valentine for you that I created with my digitizer.



I've been doing a lot more sewing since we got back from our trip to AZ. Plus I'll be using the digitizing program for new designs. Just wish I was a graphic artist, but I can't draw worth a flip!

Later...