Moving

Hubby and I have been considering a move for several years. We've talked about the kind of house we would like to have, and honestly, I kind of figured that it was a "pipe dream".

The criteria went something like this:
1. The right price of course, and we are very conservative on prices! (Big problem!)
2. I wanted to move into town for reasons I won't go into here.

3. He wanted a bigger yard, and a woods. (isn't that a conflict with #2??)

4. Laundry on the main floor.

5. Basement

6. Big enough that we don't have to sell our collectibles, yet not so big we can't afford heat and air conditioning.

7. 2 Bathrooms

8. A room for my sewing stuff

9. Place on the property that he can run his ebay business with out it being all over the house. (i.e. a separate garage)

These are a few of the things we wanted, I'm sure there were more at the time.

So, off and on we would drive by a potential house and critique it with out even stepping foot inside. Most were put in the negative column. There was one house we really liked, but the owner wanted so much for it that we thought it was ridiculous.

Then we called the realtor. The owner of this house had dropped the price into the "almost reasonable range", so we made an appointment to look at the house.

It met the criteria. Has a small area that is almost "woodsy" in the back yard, which is 1/2 acre by the way. It is in Town, has a separate garage.. and 3 bathrooms. The laundry room is just off the kitchen. Who would have thought.

We made a non-committing verbal offer that we were sure they would laugh at, but, come back with a counter offer. Yet, they didn't. They accepted. We met again to go over details.

We are buying a house. We are moving in a few weeks. I can hardly believe it.

Meeting Friends

Today I traveled about an hour and half to a city south of me to meet with some online friends to sew. These are gals I've met in the Quilting_in_Indiana yahoo group.

In order, if I remember correctly, are: Wendy, Darlene, Judy, Joni, Linda, Liz and Sandy S.

We chatted about our kids, the good times and bad, discussed quilting retreats, local govt issues, our jobs, husbands, and sewing. We went to lunch where Dan Quayle used to eat tenderloins and a special cheeseburger the diner now calls a "Quayle Burger". The food was plentiful, tasty and reasonably priced.

Then we walked down the street to the County Courthouse, where they were holding a 100 year birthday celebration of the building. They had a farmer market, an antique car show, then inside they had cake and ice cream. The Courthouse has some beautiful artwork painted on parts of the ceiling and a huge dome with stained glass windows. Too bad I didn't have my camera when we were out on our "field trip".

Oh, and we did get some sewing done too!

Things I've learned this week

1. Don't go to Redi Care just before school starts. You will have to wait in line for a really long time before you get to see the Doctor. Reason: Every school kid in the county will be getting a sports physical.

2. Cats can give you poison ivy/oak/sumac. They carry the oils on their fur, you pick them up, the oil gets on your skin. X amount of days later you are digging it till it bleeds.

3. Taking prednisone for above mentioned poison ivy/oak/sumac can give you "rosy cheeks" and hot flashes. Not fun when it's already HOT out.

4. Organizing a class reunion is not an easy task. You don't know where these classmates have disappeared to. You don't know what the married names of the female classmates are. The classmates that are supposed to be helping don't answer emails or phone calls. They want a reunion, but, sadly, I'm worried that when it's all said and done, they will not be happy with what was planned, yet they didn't make the time to help organize. Yes, this may be may last attempt at class reunion event planning. We shall see.

5. Lilac bushes need to cross pollinate. I did not know this until a fellow walking neighbor told me so. The neighbor across the street from her pulled their bushes out, so, now she's worried that hers won't bloom. Is it true? Please do share.

6. The lovely little boy kitties that I adopted at the animal shelter one year ago now think they need to be "territorial". One is bullying the other. Why can't cat's just be friends?


When I decided on this title for this blog entry, I know there were more lessons learned. The prednisone is working on my memory I guess.

Untitled Purse Project

I've been making purses alot lately. So, I made up my mind that I could make one with out a pattern telling me each step of the way. So, I got out my handy sewing tools, including a new sewing machine foot I purchased, called a "cording" foot. I made some cording to trim out the bag, started cutting, then started sewing. This is the end result. I have to tell you, I'm fairly pleased with myself.

Of course all bags patterns have a "name" but this one doesn't. If you have a good suggestion for one, please leave it in the comments!

Wylie Coyote

 

About 15 years ago I started a new job at the LaGrange Town Hall. Working in the Town Hall can be an interesting thing. You get to know the people that make your town what it is, including the Police Officers. There was one officer that was always very intimidating to me, his name is Oscar. I thought he was mean and scary to be honest. One day he pulled up to the office as I was walking in and I looked in the police car only to see a large size Wylie Coyote sitting in the back seat. That gave me a whole new picture of who Oscar is. Police officers demand respect by the very nature of their jobs. They get up each day, knowing that even in a small community, something really bad could happen to them while trying to "protect and serve". But seeing this stuffed animal in the back seat of the cruiser made me chuckle.

Oscar and I became friends after that. And we talked about the turning point in our working relationship many times. This last May he retired from our Police Department and I asked him what happened to Wylie. I don't remember what he told me at the time, but apparently he left him in the Marshal's office. This morning one of the other officers walked in my office and said "I heard you would appreciate this" and pulled the animal from behind his back.

I have to admit a little tear came into my eyes. Wylie Coyote might be retired from the Police force, but he now has a prominent spot in my office with the Beanie Babies.

Love Birds

These little applique'd birds were really fun to make. I probably wouldn't have done them on my own, but, when the girls on SewGoodFriendsdecided to do a swap, I decided to join in.

Louis, my baby

 
Haven't shared any photos of Louis lately, so, here's some that I took this afternoon. We have a new camera, and it's fun to play around with it.

Louis is a willing subject. He doesn't always look right at you, but this time he did pretty good.

A New Project

After the kids all went home today, I decided I needed a new project. A challenge always cheers me up after they go home.

I am in the mood to make a baby quilt, so I picked some animal fabric, and a pattern from Blocks Galore Got the fabric cut, and here's what it looks like so far.

Visitors

This week we had visitors from out of town. Yes, Erin (daughter) and Tad (sil) came from Hawaii for a short visit. They landed in Detroit on Friday, Aug 1st and then visited Tad's family in Ohio until Tuesday, then they drove to Noblesville to stay with Karissa and Josiah, then Wednesday night they came here. On Thursday, we drove around town and took photos (so Erin could show her friends in Hawaii what the midwest actually looks like), then we made our way to South Bend to have lunch with her former co-workers from the Tribune. We ate at the "Star of India" on Grape Road. I've only had Indian cuisine (I like that word!) one other time, and I have to tell you, this was much better than the first time around. When Erin said "Indian restaurant" I considered staying home, but, I knew I wanted to spend the day with them, so I decided that it was only one meal, so why not. I can't tell you what I ate, except something that looked like red skinless chicken, and a couple kinds of rice. One looked alot like fried rice from a Chinese place. I won't say that I would choose an Indian place for myself, but, I was full when I left.

When we got home, we went to the LaGrange Steam and Gas Show at the fairgrounds. Lot's of old tractors and stuff to look around at. Erin took lots of pictures there too.

On Friday, we had invited several friends and family to an "Open House" so the kids could see as many people as possible before heading home. So, Erin and I made food for the party, Tad helped too. Karissa and Josiah came, so we took a break and went to eat ice cream at our favorite place. Then we loaded up the car for the party location, The Brick House Inn.

It was a fun party. We got to entertain friends and family that we don't get to see alot. It was really fun to catch up. I've posted a few pictures of the night on our Flickr Page

Or, you may be able to see a few on Karissa & Josiah's Flickr

And in a few days, I'm sure Erin & Tad will post some of their trip.

Erin and Tad left after the party, they were staying with his sister in Toledo for the night, then they were flying back to Hawaii this morning.

Karissa and Josiah went back to Noblesville this afternoon.

Now it's deadly quiet in the house again.

Guess I'll head back to the sewing machine!

LazyGirl Designs

 

Love this little bag! I made it tonight in about an hour. This is a real cutie, with 2 inside pockets and a nice size strap.