Monthly Archives: June 2012

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I Fail

I am an utter and complete failure.  While making the quilts for kids quilt, I’ve totally screwed it up, and I’ve taken out lines upon lines of quilting, only to make it worse.  If that isn’t bad enough,  this is week four, and they asked that they be returned in three to four weeks.  Now I am trying to get it finished, but it isn’t quality enough to send back…  I don’t know what to do.  Do I just send   them some money?  Do I make some quilt tops and send them in with backing and batting for someone else to make nicer quilts with?  I suck.

So yeah, that’s where I am today.  It’s hot, I have no will to work, and I’m worried about the quilt that I’ve mussed up pretty badly.  *sigh*

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Steffan

Meet Steffan, my 2011 Mazda 3.  He replaced my poor, beat up 2003 Grand Am (whom I will miss dearly, she and I spent the better part of a decade together!)

Steffan is going to make a road trip in two weeks, and I’m really excited about it.  My husband and I have been going up and over to Pentwater Michigan now for six years.  This year, I will be driving Steffan instead of the hub driving his 2005 Mazda 6.  It’s still in very good shape, just needs a tune up, and well, I told him I was driving, and that is that.  lol

In years past I’ve been resigned to doing what everyone else wants to do, becase I didn’t have a car with me, and trying to drive the 6 is like pulling teeth, the hub doesn’t like anyone driving his car.  (Plus it rides funny, it isn’t as sporty as I’m used to)  =P

I’ll have to make a little game of it, and take pictures of Steffan near landmarks!  It will be a fantastic good time!

In other news, last week was Vacation Bible School at my church.  Man, was that a lot of work!  I am so glad it’s over!  The kids had so much fun, and that is all that matters.  I now have time to myself again!  I will have to hurry up and quilt the John Deere quilt to send back to quilts for kids.

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Summer, Or Something Like It

Here in Michigan, our summers get warm, but they usually aren’t wilt in your seat hot.  This summer, however, has started out as a scorcher.  (yeah, it’s not officially summer yet, but the kids are out of school, and I debate the social protocol of wearing shoes on a moment to moment basis.)

I’ve been spending a large amount of my time activating new phones and factory resetting old ones.  At least I’m in the air conditioning.  I had to wander out to the guard shack this morning, and almost forgot where I was and wanted to lay in the grass and sunbathe.  (It’s already 81 degrees (F) and not even 11am!)

This week is going to be a very busy one, I’ll be spending my evenings at the church, playing a Babylonian shop keeper for this year’s vacation bible school.  Forgive me if I’m scarce.

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Baby Bird Gone

I’m inconsolable at the moment.  The not-so-baby bird wouldn’t stay on the balcony any more, so I moved it’s nest into a bucket on the ground up against the building.  (We don’t get any predators around here, no place for them to hide, and the baby birds that didn’t make it sat for at least a week before I had to clean them up.)

Very early this morning a skunk came around, and I’m almost 100% sure he got into the bucket and snatched the bird.  I know it’s silly to be so upset about a wild animal, but it’s my fault that he’s gone.  I could have put him back on the balcony with a better nest.  To add insult to injury, as I’m looking around to make sure he wasn’t hiding somewhere, Momma Bird comes along looking, crabbing up a storm.  I looked up at her, and told her, I’m sorry Momma, he’s gone.  I then bawled for almost ten minutes on my way to work.  It was bad.

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Fabric! Fabric! Quilts For Kids

I’m on a roll!  I’ve been purchasing fabric left and right like a naughty girl.
I bought these half yards on eBay from a lovely new seller.  She only has a few things listed, but she’s just starting out.  Go take a look, she might have a perfect fabric for your stash!  (I saw some ridiculously awesome pink flamingo fabric…)

It came! It came!  My Quilts for Kids kit came!  I got an interesting John Deere themed package that I’m going to call Tractor Love.  I may try to make a few little hearts in free motion quilting.  Well, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself, I still have to piece it!  (And if you’ve been paying attention, I spend much more time buying and cutting fabric than actually piecing and finishing quilts!)  But I have to finish this one.  This is my jump start project.  I am forced to finish it, then I’ll have the juices flowing to finish up others.  Plus, it isn’t too huge, I think the kit makes a lap size quilt, perfect for little hands.

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Breathe in, Breathe Out

Whew! *sigh of relief*  This week is officially over in KurtzCraft land!  It’s Friday, and I get to spend the day doing whatever the hell I want! (Until the husband gets out of bed, and decides he wants me to wander all over God’s green earth with him for no real reason)  Yes, we’ve been blessed with Fridays off together.  No, I’m not the luckiest dog you’ve ever met.  I get Fridays off, but then I spend the majority of my Saturday sitting in a stuffy classroom, while all the other kids are playing outside.  *insert pout here*  ANYWAY….

 

Here is my latest find from the local Salvation Army!  The pastel roses is a full size flat sheet, soft and used.  The print on the right is a pseudo sack cloth material that was just hanging out, probably purchased for a forgotten project.  I have some real flour sacks and this will make a great addition to that collection.

sheet and sack cloth

Here is my amazing find from pickyourplum.com.  I bought four yards, and I think it is going to be backing for the quilt that doesn’t have a pattern.  (The link is back to Fabric Stash and Bathroom Decor, where the other fabrics are to go with this prize.)

Oh, and please excuse me while I gush about my new phone.  My employer is amazing and bought me a Droid Razr Maxx.  I think I received it mostly so I could work on other people’s phones when there was a problem.  Either way, it’s frickin’ sweet!  (yes, they let me buy an obnoxious case for it… We bought a lot of them, at least we’ll know which one is mine! lol)

Droid Razr Maxx

Here’s the back view… Yes, that is a HD 1080p you see up in the corner by the camera lens!

And finally, here’s a side view with my hand for emphasis, this phone is slim!  You can’t even tell it has the extended built in battery.

Okay, sorry about that.  I’ve only had it a day, kind of hard to curb the enthusiasm.  Yes, this is my first smart phone.  (I know, I know, I’m in I.T. for goodness sake, but I never wanted to pay for the data plan!)

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Baby Bird Still Alive

 

Here is the baby bird I rescued a few days ago. Momma bird is still feeding it! I think it’s a starling? Please excuse my abrupt post, I’m using my new Droid Razr Maxx to write this post.

Edit:   The picture just doesn’t do his pitiful fuzziness justice… He is starting to get feathers, but his little head has this pouf of fuzz that is blowing in the breeze…  He actually looks towards the door as soon as he hears me open it… It looks like this baby has two mommas!  Oh, and I edited the picture so there wasn’t so much of momma’s droppings in the picture.  She must poop every single time she lands!  Who eats that much to poop that much anyway?!?!