So typical

Rebekah is quite the individual, indescribable really. But as most typical 3 yr old girls she loves princesses and Barbies. One day a couple of weeks ago her big sister pulled out a huge bag of Barbies from her childhood (hard to not really think of her as a child anymore but almost a 16 yr old, gah!). Anyway as you can see, Rebekah was thrilled! And some of those Barbie clothes? My Mom made for me when I played Barbies some 30 odd years ago. She does good work ;)

Here's a little clip of why I need to keep the floors clean enough to eat off of, in case anyone should wonder why I worry about it.*

We did a little bit better with the milk...veeery careful with milk!

I'm really struggling with the fact that she's going to be 4 in a few months, how does that happen? The days and weeks seem like they'll drag on forever, you're sooooo tired, soooo drained, and then all of the sudden boom! They're 4 they're 10 they're 16 (my Mom is reading this saying, "they're 35")

Anyway, there's our entertainment for the week. Grant has walking pneumonia so I don't expect I'll do a lot of posting this week. Not like I do a lot of posting any week but it's a real handy excuse this week so I'm using it!

*not always successful

Taking after Daddy

Bob Villa's got nothing on this kid!

Mid September

Sunrise off our balcony, it never fails to impress me.

As I was transferring pictures off of the camera I realized that I didn't have a "September" folder yet. Wow, slacker extraordinaire. I was glad to see I managed to make 2 posts in September anyway, at least my blog hasn't sat empty this month.

I've been struggling to balance my new job with home and with my desire to get some sewing projects done. For awhile Rebekah seemed to not love her new daycare and that was tearing me up. So Grant and I spent the last week discussing if I'd be able to stay home with the kids again, if we could afford it, if I'd go crazy, if if if. As it turns out Rebekah all of the sudden decided she loves daycare and doesn't even want to be with me on the weekends so it was all for naught. I'm kind of glad because I wanted to see her push thru and find her happiness on the other side of struggle, but I'm a little sad because I miss so much of her growing up when we're apart all day. Anyway.

Yesterday Grant and I both took sick days from work and spent a day kid free. That just hardly ever happens in our world. We drove up to Marysville and had coffee at Starbucks, picked up lunch and went to a state park that was absolutely quiet. We were the only ones there and it was glorious!

Today Ashley is participating in a ropes course activity with her friend, should be interesting to get reports on that. So far she's liking the online school and has been chatting non-stop with her class mates. Pretty much like brick and mortar school, I guess! She loves these "looking 25" self portraits of herself.

She is beautiful though, I sometimes have to remind myself she was once as young as Rebekah. Sigh

Happy belated Anniversary to Mom and Rory!

Congratulations to Luke and Josi! A beebee on the way!

Good happy stuff everywhere :) Ok, I am off to sew more bibs for WN. I got a bunch cut out this morning, hopefully sew them up this afternoon and move on to a different project. OH! Ashley has agreed to take a beginners quilting class with me! I didn't even have to talk her into it! So, I need to go get us signed up for that, it's $75 per person but I think it'll be well worth it. It's 4 sessions, 3 hours each. Good stuff.

Seriously?

You know it's going to be an interesting day when you get to work and realize you put your underwear on wrong. Just sayin'.

Random Bullets

• It's the weekend, and I'm sick again still. Why? I'm being very good about taking my vitamin C. And I am so sick of being sick, especially on the weekend!
• Ashley is sick too.
• I have not decided who to vote for in this election, so this isn't because I have a favorite, but I think this should be read because truth is important to me http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080904/ap_on_el_pr/cvn_fact_check
• Mom, I got your comment, no I didn't remember that but it's great to know!
• I wonder what I should do about this sore throat, going on a week now, more hot tea and I guess a doctors visit if it doesn't clear up in the next week.
• That's really all I've got. I'm just tired and sick and cranky 'bout it.
• Maybe I'll get new pictures this weekend, sorry for the lack.

Retail hell in the sewing machine world

Coming out to Seattle from small town Wisconsin, perhaps I placed too big of expectations upon the retail world in the big city. I mistakenly thought if people had so many choices, they'd choose only the best and stores in turn, would actually strive to excel in customer satisfaction. Moron.

Well lets just start with the fact that JoAnn's talked wooed me into a machine that was on sale BUT not in stock. When do you suppose this machine was due to arrive? Two days AFTER the sale was over, were rain checks offered? No, they were not. Once this loverly load of BS actually sunk into my thick skull this morning, I decided heck with it...I can find another machine, just as good. I log on to the trusty internet and search around a little, Hancock Fabrics in Tacoma has a sweet Bernina sewing machine on sale for $200. Not to be scammed again I CALL the store before driving 20 miles, do you have this machine for this price...yes we do. Great! Off I go.

Get to the store. Find the machine. Stand around looking interested for about 10 minutes. No one comes. Finally see a lady who works there going by...

Me: Excuse me, when you're done with that (whatever the item was in her hand), can I ask you a question over here?

Her: scowling well just ask me now because I'm busy doing something for a customer.

Me: thinking that sentence really made no sense but okay I'd like to know if you have this machine in stock. Oh because did I mention every other machine there had extra boxes full of them around but not the one I wanted, oh no not that one!

Her: Eyebrows raise up, eyes roll Well, THAT I'm going to have to look up!

Me: Okay smile politely to assure her I'm not a pain in the ass really, I want to spend my money here, I swear I do!

She stalks off and that's the last I see of her. After another 10 minutes or so I say to Grant, soooo do you think she's actually checking? He says oh no, she's over there cutting fabric. Seriously???

So he walks over to the fabric cutter closest to us and says:

Grant: Excuse me, is there someone who could help us with the sewing machines?

The other lovely HANCOCK FABRICS associate: heaving sigh, palms down on table, throws head toward Grant Not at this moment!

Grant: backing away OKayyyy.

The other lovely HANCOCK FABRICS associate: It's just her and I and we're both busy SO...

uncomfortable silence

Grant: So no then, is what you're saying.

The other lovely HANCOCK FABRICS associate: dirty look, pissy tone Not at this moment.

Now, we weren't asking for help at this moment. Could she have smiled and said, sure I'll be with you right after this customer. Or yes sir, you'll be next. Nope, she just kept slinging fabric one customer after another. So I took the stuff Grant was holding for me that I was planning to purchase, set it on a shelf and walked out. Are you kidding me? Ya know, I understand shitty jobs that don't pay well but if you're that unhappy go work somewhere else don't take it out on paying customers. I will NEVER go to another HANCOCK FABRICS unless the letter I send to them results in something REALLY REALLY REALLY nice, and that's going to need to be a lot of really's.

I am not familiar with Tacoma but we were in the heart of strip malls and stand alone stores one after another so I drove off and found a Michaels...they don't sell sewing machines. I found a sewing and vacuum store but they were closed for labor day. It finally dawned on me that we were close to the Tacoma mall and I bet the mall has a Sears....let's see.

IT DID. Wheeeee! So we walk in and I can see it, the big signs that say SINGER, KENMORE, JANOME, etc. I get over to the sewing machine area and I swear angels started singing, there was a whole row of sewing machines waiting with little benches for me to try them. I find one I'm interested in, notice it's not threaded, thread the top and I'm working on the bobbin when a man comes up behind me and says (as the angels softly hum) can I help you with any questions you might have? I almost cried. Really? You want to help ME? So, I say yes...before I even ask you a question about the machine, is it in stock? I'm tired of people making me fall in love with machines they don't have. He says, I'll look. And he just walks 10 feet to his computer and looks (he really really meant it...he's looking! I'm so happy!) Yes, we have that in stock.

He proceeds to tell me he has this machine at home, loves it, the pros and cons of the class above and below it. I try it out and I am sold.

So while I don't have a sexxxy husqvarna, I have a very sturdy lovely Kenmore sewing machine that I am thrilled with. I came home and made 3 baby bibs for Wooden Nichols (my Mom's store) and did I say I love it?

SEARS people...go to SEARS! The angels sing at SEARS! Plus your husband will never complain about waiting for you in a Sears store...I swear.