still waiting

Still waiting to hear on my machine. It was received in the factory on Monday according to Fed Ex. Shipping one way: 140.85. I'll take any donations! Did I mention labor is 68 bucks an hour?!

in early

Back to work after 9 days off; this won't be pretty! I'm heading in early to see what awaits me.

just shipped.

Fed Ex just picked up my machine. They only charge $4 for pick up, I don't think I could have carried the box. Well maybe. I think it is about 66 pounds. I hate to see what they are going to charge for shipping.
I called the woman I bought the machine from. She gave me some pointers about the shipping and even offered to finished the quilt that only had 1 row to go...and not charge me! I thought that was nice, but it will cost probably 20 bucks each way in shipping and what if it got lost...what would I tell my customer?! She also said she got her machine back in a week, but she is a distributor for the company.
Well see...cross your fingers. Thanks for commiserating with me Rima.

it's dead

I was reading a fellow blogger talking about buying a house and how it takes up your cash. I have almost all my Christmas shopping done. Just a few more things to get. I've been working hard this week to get caught up on my Christmas orders. I had one row to go on this quilt that has taken me all day to do and the machine died. Totally. I am sick about it. As I tried to figure out what the problem was, it shut itself off, like the motor blew or something. I dismantled it completed. I will have to go out to the shed by Friday and get the box it came in. I think it weighs 40 pounds. The website said shipping cost could be $100-$400...is that each way?!? Did I mention I am sick about it. I doubt they will have it back to me before Christmas. Looks like I am out of business for the rest of the year.
I need to go upstairs and pick up all the parts and tools. I dismantled it and walked away. I don't even know if I will be able to get it back together. I am sitting here telling myself it could be worse. Maxine just got flooded again; twice in 5 months and had the 2nd furnace put in Monday. Did I mention I am sick about this.

vacation progress

I have been busy catching up on quilts. I did 2 yesterday and 4 today. Tina and I did a little Christmas shopping before cards. We went to Moe's, our usual Monday thing. She likes the guy there, I think he's kinda cute myself.
I have another busy day tomorrow. Have 2 more quilts to do and have to drop off a few. I also have those 5 wallhangings to do.
Vacation is going quick.

how did I miss it

I had to go out of town to 2 facility in different towns yesterday afternoon. I headed to Syracuse and it started raining, but then it wouldn't be Syracuse if it wasn't raining. It always seems to rain when Tina and I go to Syracuse. Well I was by myself this time, and I am glad I was. After seeing a kid in Syracuse, I moved on to Auburn. I love that drive along the lake in the summer.
Once I got hit Cortland, the rain got harder and pounded the highway. It was so hard to see-and that is why I am glad I was alone, because I would be nervous being responsible for someone else's life in that weather.
My coworker called to check on me and said it was getting really bad back home; streets were closing and she couldn't home. I have to go her way to get home so I knew I wouldn't be able to. I took the highway. So was everyone else. I passed many streets flooded with cars in them.
I thought, how did we not see this coming, but the rain came so fast and had no place to go. My coworker/friend was flooded in June; her basement was totally under water. It came inches from going into her 1st floor living area. She lost everything in the basement including a washer, dryer, hot water tank and furnace. She had it replaced; the furnace was $6,000 alone. She called me crying last night. The water was back and 2 steps from the 1st floor. All she just replaced was under water again. I was stuck on a road watching a river run through someone's backyard.
I had a terrible time getting home myself and there's more to that, but it was a small inconvenience compared to what everyone else lost. Again.

winner, winner, chicken dinner

Hopefully in an hour, they will draw my winning numbers in the Powerball. Then I will have time to complete all my projects for Christmas!

what an annoying day

Everything annoyed me today. Work was one problem after another. There was a foster parent dinner Friday night and I went. Many of the caseworkers don't go to it. I've heard people say 'when they have a caseworker appreciation dinner, I'll go'. People say that foster parents sign up for the job, know what they are getting into and are paid. I know they have a hard job, and I wouldn't want it. Let's face it, they get 'broken' kids; many with behavior problems. There is a particular unit that hosts the dinner, but all they did was hand out name tags and walked the door prizes to the people. They were paid overtime to go to the dinner, no other workers were. So after recognizing the foster parents, the commissioner thanks the staff who hosted the dinner.....hello you have other caseworkers there who didn't have to be but went-and we didn't even get paid. So let me get to the point of this tangent....a woman sang at the dinner-she was invited to, and she had a beautiful voice. She was asked to sing another song later in the evening. I had to leave before that performance, but I hear she sang a gospel song. And someone's guest told the deputy commissioner they were insulted because they were jewish. Doesn't every religion believe in a God or a higher power? Get over yourself!

just another day

I was a bad girl today, actually this weekend. I should have been doing quilts. I did 9 last week, and have 6 more to do. Instead, I went to the quilt store yesterday, then another today. Today is my birthday, so I spent it in a quilt store, yeah!! So my bother calls to wish me a Happy Birthday and then passes the phone around to the kids. It's so forced; I try to avoid the call every year. So once he gets the words out of his mouth, he proceeds to complain to me about his miserable life. That's why I avoid his calls. He will be 40 in January, his oldest kid is 19 and in college, and my brother and his wife just had a baby in September. They have had the rockiest marriage ever and probably stay together for spite. This is their 5th kid and they can't afford it. My uncle told me the 19 year old is going to go to college at night now so she can watch the new baby in the day since they can't afford daycare. Idiots.