Deadlines

Remember this? And the books? And the whole "leaving a comment" thing? Time's running out. I'll throw all the names in a hat and pluck out a winner.
So click "comments" and leave one...or be square.

Plastic pieces

The two rules of procrastination:  1) Do it today.  2) Tomorrow will be today tomorrow.  ~Author Unknown


Remember when I did this?

I do. I remember the scraping sound vividly and have avoided all light poles and the Applebee's in Benton since I did it. And have had every intention of getting estimates, but I could never figure out how to get the repairs done because I can't walk to work from Benton. Or I could, but the car would be fixed way before I actually managed to walk to work from the ends of the earth. So I have put off until tomorrow...repeatedly. The time-off window I have coming up around Thanksgiving was my next deadline.



And then last week someone didn't stop in time and banged my bumper at a stop light. She only did this.

Since then I've been pondering how fate works and doing the right thing and if I should repair a minor scratch/bend/crease/smudge/whatever you'd call that when it means getting my own scrapes fixed too and how important it is to have reputable, up-to-date insurance...and yesterday, I finally found out how this would work. Turns out, to fix the minor damage, the entire bumper cover will be replaced, along with that black piece at the bottom. That will take at least 2 days (that would have been a lot of walking) so this reputable insurance company (State Farm, not my company, but if this works the way they say it will, still a very good neighbor) will provide a rental car (much less walking). And will take away all the damage that I did too, except for the little, tiny, teeny piece of tail light that's missing.

So this lady who didn't stop in time on her bald tires (her words) and wet roads bumps me and I get a shiny, pretty new bumper, as good as new. I feel bad for her, but then I think about how many more payments I have to make and I decide to go for the new bumper. And to not drive in the rain anymore. Or stop at stoplights. It could be an interesting experiment.

And in case you were wondering, that little, tiny, teeny piece of tail light that's missing...that costs more than $300 to replace, almost half of what the bumper cover, black bumper bottom thing, and paint together costs. I think I can live without it for now.

The moral: plastic pieces are not created equal.

If you sent me a box, here it is

Someone came into my office this morning and asked if I was moving. I don't know if she meant in or out, but I'm not doing either. Inside those boxes are precious quilts sent in by hopeful designers. And at least 2 of them are going to grow up to be quilt books someday, maybe even all of them.

And that's my in-box on top: fully grown, newly printed books on one side with some magazines thrown in for interest and one that we're currently working on waiting for...something. They're always waiting for something.

I'm hoping everything else is e-mail for a while (but don't even get me started on how many "boxes" are in the email...there's a few. Still, they stack up much more attractively in there.)

When blog stars (like PW) come to town

Somehow Little Rock has made it on The Pioneer Woman's Griswold-style book tour to promote her new cookbook. And not just anywhere in Little Rock, but a hop, skip, and jump a mile down the road to the nearest Wal-Marts (that's how you might say it around here).

There are good reasons for me not to go.
1. I don't cook. I don't want to cook. I don't need a cookbook, even if it is a funny cookbook with cute dog pictures in it (that's probably enough to convince me that I do need just about anything...the dog pictures).
2. I secretly wonder if someday I might be living in a place where the cows are in the yard and the nearest Wal-Marts is many, many miles away. There's a place like that in my family. I might actually sort of have a piece of a part of a little bit of land like that. It has cows on it. And a dirt road. And no trash pick-up (and we all know how I feel about that). But it would hold a lot of dogs, and if people don't stop sending me picture of their precious puppies, I'm totally going to cave and get one and then Darcy will run away from home and I'll have to move to a place with more land and room for another queen size pillow top bed to accomodate her and it'll be a brand new version of Green Acres. But I digress.

So I wasn't really planning on going, thinking the crowds would be too much for (we all know how I feel about crowds too). But then I checked the price of the book on Amazon (and really, it isn't a bad price...$14 and change) and then I thought of all the unfortunate souls who live in places that might not be stops on the tour. And I read her blog so it would be nice to see the real person.

And then I thought it might be post on the blog, say Tuesday-ish. So I think I'll go.

And because I'm still nursing this giveaway along, I want to know what you'd ask Pioneer Woman if you had the chance. I'm not saying I'll ask her or anything. But I might. Or I might find a braver friend who will ask and I'll report the answer. That's sorta how I work. I'll be tongue-tied and such.

Dyeing with Sharpies

So I went for the full "Quilt Market experience" this year and trotted down (by getting on the bus) to the convention center an hour early for Take and Teach classes. I took two, a dimensional piecing class using a new Clover tool, and this one: dyeing with Sharpies.

This is my kind of class, sort of like the arts and crafts classes at vacation Bible school. Anybody can do it, but some people are really good.

The best thing about this is that it's inexpensive to play with markers. The scarf comes from Dharma Trading, the Sharpies and alcohol from Wal-Mart (or your favorite sell-it-all-in-place stop). You have to supply the talent. This is my problem. I got excited for one single minute thinking about how easy these would be to make and give as gifts. And then I remembered...I don't have the artistic talent. Plus, I end up with Sharpie from fingernail to nose and it takes a while for that stuff to wear off. Believe me. I know.

I'm not sure how colorfast this ever gets either. I've handwashed and dried mine and still get a little pink from handling. So I won't be making and giving as gifts, but if you need a quick, fun kid's class, this one entertained me. Just stock up on the rubber gloves before you begin.

High places

This weekend I had the chance to drive up to Petit Jean State Park (hang a left at Morrilton and then a right at Oppelo. I think that's what I did. Thank goodness for Google maps.) for a retreat with the women's ministry that I work with. And this was the cabin. It was a welcome sight late afternoon Friday. Of course, having the doors open would have been a welcome sight too, but I had to wait for that. To take my mind off the pressing matter that was becoming more pressing with every passing second, thanks to my required Route 44 stop, I explored a little with my iPhone camera.

The back is a screened-in porch with the view of the last picture, complete with swing and rocking chairs. This would have been a good place for some knitting. I didn't do any, but it would have been an excellent place to sit and knit and listen to cows call each other and watch the leaves fall. And there needs to be a black dog snorzing at my feet. (Snorzing...it's what she does, a solid snooze with sound accompaniment, and it's a happy, comfortable sound.) Instead, it was several women, plans to make, and no dogs allowed.

I want to go back and try it my way.

I think I say this every year but now is the time to visit Arkansas.

Leave me a comment to enter this fabulous prize giveaway. Just click "comments" and then enter your favorite place to get away.  Someday I want to have a house with a view of something other than my neighbors roof. I thought lake, but maybe it's mountain instead.

Happy Halloweenie

I guess it is the season to be haunted and scared out of your normal good judgement. I just read the review/discussion of "Paranormal Activity" and watched the trailer here. Of course, I have no plans to see it. I don't watch horror movies. I already have to sleep with the lights on sometimes when I read the wrong book at night and check behind shower curtains when I come in after dark. It's a thing. I don't need any spooky help. I think the last horror movie I saw was Nightmare on Elm Street. And I still remember. This trailer looks pretty scary, especially the audience reaction. The memory of their screams would be enough to make me jittery. I prefer my...everything (books, movies, stories) to be happy, not haunty.

But I understand...you are out there, those of you who like to be scared. I hear the commercials for the local haunted house experience where you must be able to "crouch, crawl, and run for your life." People with medical conditions are warned.

Here's how I like my holiday: funny costumes (where you can everyone's face. Masks and clowns creep my stuff out.) and candy, candy, candy. Or cookies. Or candy.

How about you? Love the creepy stuff? Leave me a comment with the best horror movie ever to enter the super, duper giveaway. And if you've seen Paranormal Activity...did you scream like a girl? (Since chances are that are a girl, I think it's OK if you did.)