They Don't Make Them Like They Use To

Oh, guess that can be said about just about anything anymore, can't it?

Five or Six Years ago, we bought this:





It was great for about 6 months.   Super quiet after the 20 year old machine we had been using, which worked great, only needed to be repaired once.  But finally it was time to allow it to go to that big washing machine place in the sky.     But I digress.  

First the quietness of the new machine got a little louder, until it sounded like I don't know what, but it was loud.    Mr. TinkerPro did some research and found out that there were many complaints about the noise, something about the rollers the tub spun on wearing out.   Okay, I can live with that, I just don't start the washer before bed since it is right below my room.  Two weeks ago it started a new noise, and decided that instead of spinning the last cycle,it should just show error code.  And once it got started again, it usually started half way through the cycle so another 30 minutes of filling up with water, etc.    At least I was sure there was no soap left in the clothes, but more often than not I had to let them drip for a day before I could put them in the dryer.  NOT a fun way to do laundry.

Research and shopping brought us to this:



Not exactly in love with it, although I've only used it 4 times since it was installed (yesterday), but at lest it does the job.  For now.    For the first time ever we bought extra insurance for an appliance.   Typically I think that is a waste of money, but since research had proven that big ticket items are not made to last anymore than 6 years,  and we had problems with the last washer in less than 1 year, we decided that it was worth it.     I can guarantee that every little problem this machine has will result in a call to the repairman.   

Clumsy

Apparently walking is an art that I haven't quite mastered yet.   I fell Monday walking in a hallway.   No water, in fact the floors have a tile on them that is slip resistant.   Well, I can say that is probably true because my feet didn't slip out from under me, I just went down.   I got myself home, propped and iced my foot and felt sorry for myself.    Tuesday, because every male I ran into said "go to the doctor" I did.    Just in case and so they would stop.

I called the orthopedist we used for TInkerSon2 when he played sports.  He was there at least once a season, and whenever anyone else had a bone problem, we went there.     Apparently it has been so long since we have been to see this doctor, they deleted us from the system.   Which I guess is a good sign.   Right? 

Nothing broken, but you did sprain the top of your foot.   Super.   A broken bone means a cast of some sort, which means no pain for a few weeks, then you're better.   A sprain?   Yep.   Here's a boot to help with compression and immobilization,   Of course it fits inside your shoe.   No.   It doesn't unless said shoe is a flip flop.   Which was the shoe of choice anyway because my foot was so swollen none of my shoes fit anyway.   And it will feel better in 3-4 weeks.   Try not to move your toes.     When you tell your toes not to move, that is all they want to do.    They have minds of their own apparently.  

My bandage from drugstore makes it feel better than that expensive-ass boot, and my shoes fit again - yay

The worst part about this fall was that I was carrying my favorite mug.    It is a simple mug (I should name it Glen).    It keeps my hot beverages hot for over an hour if I remember to put the lid on it.    Just sitting around knitting or reading, it keeps my coffee hot until I'm ready for a refill.

I ordered a new one before I went to bed Monday night.    You'd think that if I love it so, I would have more than one.   I have lots of mugs, and I like them, this one wasn't cheap and I am.   But it came on Thursday, and is sitting in front of me right now with hot coffee.


Here is the best thing about this week.    The little boy is doing well.

Life and Death

We welcomed a new baby into our family on Saturday.   Sweetest little boy who has a "real" name but needs a handle for this blog.   Maybe I should have a contest?   hahahaha!   TinkerBabyBoy?   Dunno, I'll think on it some more.

And Tuesday we said good bye to a friend of TinkerSon2.  Tommy had a motorcycle accident on fathers day, and after being in a coma for almost 3 weeks  passed away.

Tommy and TS2 were great friends in high school.   Of course, after graduation, they went their separate ways and lost touch.    When TinkerDaughter moved back home three years ago, she made new friends, and one night went to a party so took her brother.    She called me later and said do you remember Tommy?   Sure, he was a sweet, big kid, always had a smile, always willing to help out and the nicest guy.    Apparently he was also dating TinkerDaughter's friend.   She said that the two of them walked in the door, TinkerSon2 and Tommy took one look at each other, shouted each other's  name and then hugged for 5 minutes.    They apparently were inseparable the rest of the night and it was rather sickening.   Silly boys.   

Last year Tommy got married, it was not a good experience, and I won't sully this post with the story, that is for another day.  In a year or two.  Maybe.  Lets just say that he and the bride lost all their friends over the event.  And less than 3 months later, they separated.   

He never reconnected with his friends.    Various guys would periodically try over the next few months to reconnect, but by the first of this year, they just stopped.   Thought they would try again this summer when maybe he wasn't so raw.   They made plans to just gang up on him and force the issue.  

Because Tommy was in the same hospital TinkerDaughter had her baby, TinkerSon2 even got to get a 2-for-1 parking pass last Sunday.   He went to visit his sister and new hunting buddy, and then went and spent almost 2 hours with Tommy's parents.   Said it was a good visit and they seemed very up beat.   He told me, I should have forced Tommy to see me last winter.   I told him he couldn't force Tommy to do anything Tommy didn't want to do, and  the only thing he could do was keep in touch with Tommy's parents, visit at the hospital, and when Tommy got better, he would be a captive audience so they could reconnect then. 

I am watching my grown son walk around with a hollow look in his eyes and no emotion in his voice.    I can feel the guilt eating away at him.   Now we will never know why Tommy cut everyone out and wouldn't let anyone reconnect.   I hope he knows how much he was loved and admired and how much he will be missed.

 But we do know that he was a wonderful friend, brother and son.  

Happy July!

New month.   New ‘tude.   New member of our family.   After a mere 12 hours, TinkerDaughter gave birth to TinkerGrandSon.   GOTTA come up with a better name for him than that.    It isn’t as if we haven’t known he was a boy for the past several months.   Tempted to offer a contest, but that seems a little crass, doesn’t it? 

Textbook pregnancy.  Textbook  delivery.   So of course, TinkerDaughter had to pay during recovery.    But by all accounts all is well, and they will probably go home this afternoon.  

Let the fun times begin!

 

April

How is that for stating the obvious?   Well, I let March get away from me about as much as I did April.    However, I had my weekend retreat in March and that was fun.   And I took a class on duct tape dress forms.    That was fun and let me tell you nothing will make you say I'm losing weight NOW than having your body wrapped in duct tape and then cut of and stuffed so you see every stinkin bump and lump.    My goal now that Easter is over is to lose for good those last 15 pounds and get into fighting shape.   Unfortunately, I'm not exactly interested in exercise.   But I walk with TinkerDaughter and I'm starting to spend more time in the yard since I want to grow some of my own veggies this year. 

I tried small container gardens last summer and they worked very well, so again this year, we will have home-grown lettuces, bell peppers and I'm going to try spinach and beans and tomatoes.    I need a few more containers but will get those taken care of this week. 

I decided silver duct tape wasn't flattering, so I decopoged it with left over fabric from another project.   I'm going to put a boa around the neck.    And I declare, that I will make another one in August, with a more plain fabric and it will have shape.

Found It!

Two weekends ago, I took a mini vacation to Chincoteague for a knitters retreat.    It was a small group of 20 women, lots of laughing and relaxing.   Learned about gauge.   Oh, I know gauge, I know you are suppose to swatch and block and adjust and not just dig right in when you're knitting.   Especially a sweater.   But I do it anyway.    I now have a little better appreciation of gauge, and will try to do it more often.

Several years ago when I started going on these excursions by myself I opted to not try and find a roommate and just suck it up and pay the extra money to have a room to myself.    It is lovely.    I'm not particularly messy, especially when staying in a hotel, but it is SO nice to know when I open the door the room is my room.    I travel with my laptop, knitting and kindle.    I take the kindle because I often eat breakfast alone.   In the morning, I want coffee and quiet.    Conversation can happen later - about half a pot later.   I'll confess that I travel with my own coffee maker and coffee too.    Okay, some people take cookies and candy, I take coffee and tea.    Oh, and wine.   But that's another story.

I came home sick, had to work anyway, tried to get caught up on all the housework I didn't do the last 8 weeks while I took a class.   Also another long story.   Tonight, I decided to sit down with my kindle and catch up on reading.   oh, oh.   It wasn't where it belonged.    It wasn't in my suitcase which only had a shawl and flashlight in it.   It wasn't in any of the knitting bags I took and/or came home with.   It wasn't on my desk.   It wasn't in my knitting room.   It wasn't anywhere.

Did I leave it at the hotel?   After 10 days would they even admit it if they had it?   How was I going to explain to TinkerSpouse that I lost his Christmas present to me?   So, I combed my room, the dining room, the kitchen, my truck, the knitting room, my desk.   Finally I dumped my main knitting bag.   Apparently when you look four times in a knitting bag, your kindle will magically appear.

phew

First Quilt

It has been a lot of years since I sewed anything.  I even pay to have my pants hemmed because I just can't be bothered.  I learned  to sew when I was young, did quite well.  My mom taught me when I was about 7, I was in 4-H and won a few ribbons, made a lot of my clothes though my early 20s.   Then made the kids clothes, pretty dresses for TinkerDaughter, Halloween costumes, and stuff.   Then it wasn't fund anymore.   Life got in the way, and I found that when I sat at the machine for very long, I got a knot in my neck that took days to release.   So I put the machines away, donated the fabric after a few years, and though I was done.

Right.    TinkerDaughter is going to produce our first TinkerGrandbaby this summer, and she needs maternity clothes.   Mostly scrubs which apparently they DON'T make as maternity wear, they just suggest you buy a larger size.   Well, that is just great.    I couldn't find any scrub patterns either, so just bought the largest one they had, and we have modified it to suit our needs.    Well, we got some xxxlg tops and pants from a friend who went through this last summer, and this weekend will be the weekend to alter the pants and finish the scrubs.

While at the fabric store, TinkerDaughter got a little carried away with baby related material.   I'll admit the fleece she saw that she said would make a great blanket was cute, and I could bind it easily enough, she said no, the other side needed to be a quilt, and then she went around picking out fabric she liked that would go with the fleece.    I didn't have the heart to tell her I'm not a quilter and I haven't used the sewing machine in about 20 years, I merely said of course I can do that!

Then I dug the machines (regular and serger) out of the storage trunk and took them to the repair shop for some TLC.    The shop was a little skeptical since they had sat for so long, but I told them to give it a shot.  $300 later they are working just fine, and while the embroidery machine is certainly old and I could get a fancier one, they actually said the serger was a great workhorse serger that should serve me well.   So will be continuing to use he Viking I spent so much money on when it first came out and my serger with joy.   

I thought since I can knit, embroider, needlepoint and even have dabbled in bobbin lace, surely I could make a simple patchwork quilt.  I took my time, thought about if for a few days, had to go replace a lot of sewing notions I no longer had, and then took that first cut.   I spent three days laying out the squares and while maybe not original, they worked (we were a little short on one fabric).   Away I stitched.   

Getting Started

 

 

First Side

 

The Fleece that started it all

I am not displeased with the end result.  And I've got a few ideas for the leftover fleece.....

Begining Again

Well, I had grand plans in January.   I was going to start writing the blog again, every day.   And it would be happy news only.   Right.

Well, then I got a wild hair and decided that there was no reason not to take the last class I thought I needed to get my degree.   It remains to be seen if I need one or two more classes, once I get my grade from this one, I'll go find out if the rest of my credits are still good.   So while I was on that roll, I decided that instead of going to one class a night for 16 weeks, I would take the condensed 8 week class.   On line.   Easy Peasy.   No going in out in the winter, no sitting for three hours in a room with possibly sick people,   I COULD DO THIS!

Well, yes.  I could, and I did.  It was pretty horrible.  They syllabus suggested about 12-15 hours worth of work per week.   Hmmm.    Some of the reading was hard to get through, I kept falling asleep.    The on-line quizzes were not difficult, and the assignments weren't bad either, except I was reading 3-4 chapters a week, taking 3-4 on-line quizzes per week, and submitting 3-5 papers.

After week three it was time for mid-term.  Really?    Oh, that really didn't go well.   I don't test well, and this was a lot of questions and essay questions at one time.   But I muddled through, passed the test.   Then came the group project.   With strangers.   Who I never see.   There were five of us.   One person never ever showed up, one person was good until we had to produce the first draft of our portion and then he sorta just disappeared.   The other girl in the group msut be young because her portion was pretty slim, and the day before the re-write ofour portion was due, she posted that she couldn't find some information, and could anyone else?    I did my part, did part of hers and then quit.   For two glorious days I didn't think about homework, tests, project papers or the final that was coming up in three days.  I did proof our paper after our teamleader got it pulled together. 

The final was strange, it was a basic summary of our group project paper and just was odd.   And that was it.   No true/false or multiple choice questions.    Just answer these five questions about your project.   We shall see.   Papers haven't been graded yet, we are to expect grades to be posted on the 17th.    I've got a good grade right now, so even if I bombed the final, I should come out with a passing grade.

Once I'm done with this degree, I'm only taking classes for fun.   

Finally Home

TinkerSon1 is finally home for good.   Maybe.  I only add the maybe because at some point in time he is going to want his own place, not sharing mine.    I hope it is close enough that I get to see him every now and again instead of the once a year for a week of the past five years.

I didn't realize until this morning how much I truly missed him.   Sure we have email, and telephone and skype and all the other methods of communication.   But until I wrote an email to an old friend this morning and actually typed the words he is home for good, and my eyes teared up, and I felt something just release inside, did I realize that hmmmm, guess I have been pretty stressed about him being gone.     Keeping a stiff upper lip sucks.

The Army did wonders for him.   And he was happy.    He even admitted to me a few weeks ago that in the back of his head, he is glad that he can go back in if he wants to.  Of course, I said all the right "mommy things", of course you can honey, you can do anything you want.     I then threw in that if he does rejoin the service to please fortheloveofgod pick his next post and make it someplace fun so we can vacation there.   

Now the five of us are learning to get along in the same town again.   TinkerSons have their own special relationship that has been a little fractured for the past 5 years.    They have a bond that can't be broken, but they both have different needs both inside and outside their brother bond.   And they are both headstrong and are the one that is "right".    Bah.  I was glad to see though that when TinkerSon1 came home Thursday, and his brother and sister showed up for dinner, it only took the expected one hour for the boys to revert to being five years old again.    The only problem with that is that when they were 5 they were smaller.    Now my floors and windows truly shake.     

Ah, a few broken items are a small price to pay to have them all home together.

National Strawberry Ice Cream Day

This fact has nothing to do with anything but I needed a title.   So there.

TinkerSon2 started a new job yesterday.   He has had a perfectly good job for the past 5 years, but wasn't making any money.    I refrained from point out that years ago I suggest being a mechanic wasn't the route to take, but you can't tell your kids anythihng, you can only support and love them.   Both of which we did.  He is still a mechanic, but now he will be traveling from job to job, taking the route from a guy who is retiring as soon as TS2 is up to speed and gets to meet some of the clients.    The company gives each mechanic their own truck and gas card.    You don't get tools however until you pass the 30 day mark.    So they put him in a brand spankin new truck yesterday, with just 98 miles on it.   On the way home, he realized there is no safety inspection sticker on the window.   oops.   Next week they put him up in a hotel for 3 days while he gets some specialized training.   Yesterday he was at the main headquarters for some hands on "lets see what the kid knows" kind of training.   He said that the technicians told him a sledge hammer and a piece of long pipe will be his friends in this job.     If I didn't understand his job, I'd think he was suppose to be ready to rumble every day.

TinkerSon1 had his wisdom teeth finally pulled yesterday.    He has put this appointment off three times in the past two months.   But it HAD to be done by the end of next week so he finally sucked it up and went to his appointment.    His roommate called early afternoon to say the job was done, boy was fine, sleeping it off.   Silly thing, we all told him it wouldn't be bad because all those teeth were showing, and really were unnecessary and just needed out.    His brother told him it only took 10 minutes (because that is how long it took for his, but then he had two done at a time, not all 4)   His sister the hygenist said it is easy and you'll be fine.    I even offered to come stay with him for a few days, and I think if he wasn't worried about the backlash from the guys for having "mommy come" that he would have taken me up on that offer.  

TinkerDaughter moved home temporarily last night.   She has two roommates.   One just came down with what looks like the flu.   We are going with since the guy is rarely there, and the last time she actually saw him was last Tuesday, that she won't get it - I'm even more hopeful that she isn't carrying those germs here.    Every year, the news says worst flu season ever!    Do they forget that they said that the year before?   

I have stars on my chart.    Not a lot, because of course I didn't start this new reward system until last week, and I've tried to add a new task every week, so I'm up to two.  ha!    But this is how you start new habits and my first week I focused on remembering to take my vitamins every day.  

Changing Habits

I’m not going to go on a diet this year.   At.  All.  I am, however, going to be sure that I eat better and exercise more.    Those are easy.    I have already gotten past the “must eat chocolate” phase of life.   Especially in the afternoon.    I finally realized that my candy in the afternoon want was merely a habit and half the time, I wasn’t even hungry.    My headbrain just said “it’s 2:00, go get candy”.     I think that was mostly a work habit because the office was closed for almost two weeks and the entire time I was home, with a dish of chocolate in the dining room I  rarely  indulged .

Good Thing #1  -  beat candy habit!  

This by no means is any statement that I’ve given up candy and chocolate, it just means that I will no longer mindlessly eat it.     A few years ago I broke the ice cream after dinner habit.   Hmmm, I seem to have survived, it helped keep the weight down and now when I have ice cream I truly enjoy it.

If Not Now Then When?

That was the question posed to me this afternoon by TinkerHusband about my itunes and ipod.   I have a love/hate relationship with that little piece of equipment.   Last spring, when the taxes were done but not yet printed out, my computer died.    Not an "oh, it has a problem so lets do a backup and fix it now" dead but a "You ain't getting diddly squat off me baby" dead.

April 10th.    Got the taxes re-done and turned in on time, then got a new computer.    I know how to do what I know how to do on a computer.    And if I can get someone else to set things up for me, then I will because I always forget the steps and get frustrated and just walk away.    I have written instructions on how to use Flicker.   When they changed it, I about cried trying to re-write my instructions.    I never got itunes put back on the computer.  My ipod wasn't up to date and the one time I sat down to get it done, the computer and itunes weren't speaking.   

Today after 55 minutes, I have itunes back on my computer and my ipod is up to date.    Yay Me!
No, I don't have an ipad, I don't use my phone for music, although TinkerSon2 says that I have pandora on it and would like it if I would only give it a try.    It is on the "list".

Next is my goals for the month chart.    I can probably get that done by tomorrow night, and I've already got gold stars on the shopping list.

Gold Stars beat technology any day of the week

National Oatmeal Month

Yummy.

For most.  M boss always calls it gruel and makes a face.     Usually I have a cup of oatmeal every morning at work, I add flax meal and some dried cherries or cranberries to it.    Today I added 1/2 an apple and cinnamon instead.   

"They" say you should start every day off with a good breakfast.   "They" also say that it is easier to control your weight if you have the same things to eat.    In that light, I have been having oatmeal for breakfast Monday - Friday for the past 4 months.     Time to ramp it up a bit.    I promised my doctor I'd schedule a physical next month since it has been 4 years, and I want to be sure that all my stats are in excellent shape.

I know one thing for sure, months will turn into years and before I know it, five years will have gone by and I don’t want to look back and ask what happened.

Before I turned 50 I made plans.   I got my first physical since my last pregnancy (and it’s bad enough that I’m admitting I’m over 50, let’s not discuss how long ago it was).    I knew that I was going to be healthy and that I would eat right, exercise.    Nope.  Well the physical was okay, there were some things to watch but no suggestions to do better and I haven’t done much on my own.

I  know that I want to be the 85 year old grandma who can join the Peace Corps and go  to China, or South America or anywhere, and volunteer my time and skill for a year if I want.   My age would not be a detriment.   I want to be the fun grandma who gets down on the floor and plays with the kids.  

 I’ve now thought about the past few years that I’ve “piddled away” and that is going to change.    I have plans.   I have goals.
 If  I don't do it now, then when?  

Accomplishment

Happy New Year to All!    The first day of the new year went very well.   I did a little bit of a few things, and not a lot of others.   I wonder if it is true that what you do on the first day of the new year is what you will continue to do throughout the year.   I'll have to try and remember to go back to this list and check it out in a few months.

TinkerSon arrived about midnight he was out with friends and not having a good time, so wisely called his dad to come get him.    I like that my kids know that whenthey are out and shouldn't drive, they feel free to call home for a ride.   Of course, we make them come to OUR home because if you're hauling my ass out of bed in the middle of the night, you don't get to sleep in your own bed, you can sleep in your own old room/guest/storage room.    Or the sofa.  Or once, the bathroom floor.  And I did toss a few towels in the door for you.   I was up early, got the kitchen straightened, knitted, and then we started cleaning the basement.    In less than two hours we had three bags at the curb for trash day, we had taken three loads of items to my truck - they will be dropped off at goodwill this morning, and had consolidated and otherwise straightened the area.   I have a plan for the room, I can't believe how happy I was to walk into the room last night, see what still needed to be done and smiled anyway because it isn't a deep pit of junk anymore.    

Of course, TinkerSon is bringing home his giant tool box in a week to store it, but there you go.    The flip side of that is that he is doing so because he starts a new job in two weeks.    A job with enough hours in the week that he will actually make money.  He won't know how to behave.   He has to go to the company headquarters for three weeks of training.    Their offices are about 60 miles from home.   It is such a nice company that they are having someone pick him up on his first day of work, take him to the company office and then they are giving him a company car to commute in for those three weeks of training.   WIth a company gas card.   Wow.    He will get a permanent company car when they cut him loose so he was prepared for that.   Now he is extra excited that he won't be driving his gas guzzler truck for three weeks. 

Today is my last day off from work.  I have several things planned, nothing earth shattering, but minor stuff, like visiting goodwill.  I'll also grab some paint samples because I've got a room or two to paint in the next 30 days hahahahahaha.    

Happy 2013!

Today I give up all thoughts of coulda/shoulda/woulda items I’ve been lugging around.    Can’t go back and fix what I didn’t get done, or did that I should not have done.    Revisiting those items does no good and is counterproductive to the  feel good feeling I am promoting  in 2013. 

I joined a new Ravelry group this week.   It isn't as if I'm not a member of enough groups already.    The goal is to make a christmas give a month for the year.   I can totally do that.    Maybe.    We shall see.    I started January's project and will post when I'm done.   

Fingers crossed!