Looks like the computer will be shut down tomorrow morning so I'll say bye for now! It could be 2 weeks before I can get back on, but I'll see ya next time from Texas!
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Sunday, May 30, 2010
The count down
We did the yard sale for 2 days. I only have two items that I really wanted to sell, but looks like they'll be coming with us and we'll sell them in Texas. The plans may change a little although I will post my last up date on Wednesday before the computer is shut down.
I never saw such a mess that Dave's Former company got themself into. Now that they laid off all the engineers they can't fix any of the problems. They called Dave back to work last week. They were a bit shocked to find out he is leaving the state. He thought he would be able to get the design up and running for them in a week but they didn't have the entire information from the company they are doing the job for. We'll see what happens Tuesday.
We are ready! I'll be here looking at my travel bag waiting for him to finish up!
I never saw such a mess that Dave's Former company got themself into. Now that they laid off all the engineers they can't fix any of the problems. They called Dave back to work last week. They were a bit shocked to find out he is leaving the state. He thought he would be able to get the design up and running for them in a week but they didn't have the entire information from the company they are doing the job for. We'll see what happens Tuesday.
We are ready! I'll be here looking at my travel bag waiting for him to finish up!
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Really quick up date
It's been a busy time. We are just about packed up, only one more yard sale Thursday thru Saturday. I hope everything goes quick and we don't have to do the weekend.
We rented a house and signed the lease! Funny thing on the lease. Here in Pennsylvania we work at keeping the water running away from the house foundation. Not in Texas. I had to call the property manager and ask what the lease meant when it said we agree to "water the foundation"..lol It seems the earth gets so dried out it can move the foundation so once a week we need to water it! Now that's HOT!
We'll be packing up the truck on June 2nd and pulling out of here on the 3rd. For the past 5 years I've just about stopped driving. Since I'll be driving the pick up truck and pulling a trailer, that meant driving around the property to get back into the swing of driving again!
I'll stop back before we shut down the computers and let you all know if we are on time with our plans!
We rented a house and signed the lease! Funny thing on the lease. Here in Pennsylvania we work at keeping the water running away from the house foundation. Not in Texas. I had to call the property manager and ask what the lease meant when it said we agree to "water the foundation"..lol It seems the earth gets so dried out it can move the foundation so once a week we need to water it! Now that's HOT!
We'll be packing up the truck on June 2nd and pulling out of here on the 3rd. For the past 5 years I've just about stopped driving. Since I'll be driving the pick up truck and pulling a trailer, that meant driving around the property to get back into the swing of driving again!
I'll stop back before we shut down the computers and let you all know if we are on time with our plans!
Friday, May 7, 2010
Getting ready, right down to the pick up truck cover
Just thought I'd drop in and show you what I have been sewing. We are ready to make this move, all but renting the right house! It's still cold here in Pennsylvania so I am looking forward to being baked in Texas.
The Pick up truck needed a new top. After pricing them at $300. we decided to try and make one ourselves. With an old sewing machine, singer heavy duty needle, Coats & Clark UV thread and snaps from my sons days of building Amish buggies we got to work. It has a little wiggle room and if it doesn't shrink up I can make it tighter. The feeling is the industrial vinyl fabric will shrink and harden in the sun.
The old cover had shrunk & the cornors would no longer go over the frame
The vinyl had also split and the bows could no longer be used
The frame was still in great shape
We used a nylon strapping on the edge to hold the snaps and keep the shape
The white mark is for the snap
A nifty tool to make the holes
Pressing the snaps on
The finished top
The cost with 50% off the fabric was around $35.00!
The cost with 50% off the fabric was around $35.00!
This was a great mother/son project!
Monday, April 19, 2010
Here we go again....
Okay, guess you are wondering about the remark I made about the house. After 6 years and two attemps to restore this 150 year old house, we get it. This house does not want to live anymore, it just doesn't!
Thousands of dollars have passed through it with little improvement. Every new addition leads to another costly breakdown.
Then there is the general area, the lack of jobs and the depressing feeling you get looking out at snow everyday from October to April. Early in January my son noticed the crew on the manufacturing floor of the company he works for , weren't making anything...they were cleaning the building. His company is one of three that actually employ people besides Walmart. By the end of February all three companies were in trouble and lay offs began in waves.
Recently I heard someone on Fox News say...10% of people do nothing in a crisis, 80% wait to be told what to do...10% just do it. It's like a burning building. Some people sit at their desk and go up in the flames, most wait for someone to tell them to leave after it's too late and only some see the smoke and just get up and go.
We saw the smoke. Dave started applying for jobs early in the year. We made our plan to be gone before the 4th of July. He found that most military defense jobs are in Huntsville, Ala. or San Antonio, Texas. We started packing and I had to get through some surgery where I was comfortable with the doctors.
About 10 days ago we bought a newer pickup truck. I had my surgery on Thursday. We decided to head for San Antonio where the outlook for a job is best, where he has already passed the first hump to qualify.
I am working on renting a house on the west side of the city near the base. This looks most promising. I am looking forward to living where I can go out side all 12 months of the year! Where they have real grocery stores and Malls! Where people use visa cards instead of food stamp cards.
When you are heading over 1500 miles to a new home you have to give up 50% of what you own...it's the things/stuff that clutter your life and hold you down. When we arrive in Texas we will have to first buy beds since all the large furniture has been sold off or given away. The moving truck will be filled with our life, things that are really important to us that can't be replaced.
The house, well it's in the hands of a lawyer this time. No one has money to buy it, and so, what will be, will be. It'll just be a part of the past, a photo in an album, a memory of hard work with little results! North Western Pa. is a hard place to live! Everything is old, the weather is awful and the economy ended when the oil dried up and Penzol left sometime back in the 60's. It never recovered and I don't think it ever will.
What will happen to us? We haven't a place to live yet but the HGTV ladies already have our feet on the ground in Texas! We'll arrive sometime in early June but they have set up a Quilting retreat already for August! This feels so good...real people with life and fun all around them! We'll be staying in this retreat near Houston, Texas.
http://www.cabinquilter.com/quilterscabin/
As the days move forward I'll try to post again and let you all know where we will be landing. Just another adventure!
Thousands of dollars have passed through it with little improvement. Every new addition leads to another costly breakdown.
Then there is the general area, the lack of jobs and the depressing feeling you get looking out at snow everyday from October to April. Early in January my son noticed the crew on the manufacturing floor of the company he works for , weren't making anything...they were cleaning the building. His company is one of three that actually employ people besides Walmart. By the end of February all three companies were in trouble and lay offs began in waves.
Recently I heard someone on Fox News say...10% of people do nothing in a crisis, 80% wait to be told what to do...10% just do it. It's like a burning building. Some people sit at their desk and go up in the flames, most wait for someone to tell them to leave after it's too late and only some see the smoke and just get up and go.
We saw the smoke. Dave started applying for jobs early in the year. We made our plan to be gone before the 4th of July. He found that most military defense jobs are in Huntsville, Ala. or San Antonio, Texas. We started packing and I had to get through some surgery where I was comfortable with the doctors.
About 10 days ago we bought a newer pickup truck. I had my surgery on Thursday. We decided to head for San Antonio where the outlook for a job is best, where he has already passed the first hump to qualify.
I am working on renting a house on the west side of the city near the base. This looks most promising. I am looking forward to living where I can go out side all 12 months of the year! Where they have real grocery stores and Malls! Where people use visa cards instead of food stamp cards.
When you are heading over 1500 miles to a new home you have to give up 50% of what you own...it's the things/stuff that clutter your life and hold you down. When we arrive in Texas we will have to first buy beds since all the large furniture has been sold off or given away. The moving truck will be filled with our life, things that are really important to us that can't be replaced.
The house, well it's in the hands of a lawyer this time. No one has money to buy it, and so, what will be, will be. It'll just be a part of the past, a photo in an album, a memory of hard work with little results! North Western Pa. is a hard place to live! Everything is old, the weather is awful and the economy ended when the oil dried up and Penzol left sometime back in the 60's. It never recovered and I don't think it ever will.
What will happen to us? We haven't a place to live yet but the HGTV ladies already have our feet on the ground in Texas! We'll arrive sometime in early June but they have set up a Quilting retreat already for August! This feels so good...real people with life and fun all around them! We'll be staying in this retreat near Houston, Texas.
http://www.cabinquilter.com/quilterscabin/
As the days move forward I'll try to post again and let you all know where we will be landing. Just another adventure!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Who would have thought...
....that at age 65 I would get a new grown daughter? To top that off she is from Thailand, beautiful and a friend of my son Dave's. Her name is Prim.
King Bhuimibal Adulyadej
I'm not sure just how this came about but most likely Dave was telling her about my sewing and how much I would love to have quilting books from her country.
Yesterday I got a mailer with a very cute Thai mailman on it. He is wearing a helmet because they use scooters in Thailand.
On the back of the envelope he has his hands folded, showing respect with the Thai greeting.
Inside I found 2 quilting books. One celebrates the granny patch while the other celebrates the log cabin.
Here is a picture of the King of Thailand that was on the inside cover.
King Bhuimibal Adulyadej
So many tote bags, but what wonderful leather straps they used! Now I will be searching on line for leather straps!
And the log cabin quilts..
Thank You for the wonderful gifts and Thank You for being my Thai daughter, Prim.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Homespun
I don't have much time these days for posting but I have managed to finish this gift quilt made from Homespun's. I have no place to even hold it up for a nice photo and today it was raining so outside was not possible.
I'll tell you all later what's been going on but lets just say for now, everything has a life and a time when life ends, including houses.
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