'I heard the Command Center'd been hit...' - name that movie challenge !

 

Current Mood : Joy in my guys' joy...

 

While cleaning the living room yesterday, I found a coupon glued to a Toys R Us ad, good for 20% off any one item. Hmm... Talked to Beloved Hubby this afternoon, told him about it, and we decided to do something special for Dearest Son this evening. Whatever he wants, he gets.

 

Dearest just knew we were going somewhere, but didn't know where until we pulled into the TRU lot. And he was so excited. They had many, many new Lego sets to choose from, and he studied them all. Finally he chose the City Police Mobile Command Center, and we saved a quick $10. with the coupon. He had so much fun putting it all together. Did nearly the whole 524 piece assembly by himself, only the hinges on the truck gave him pause, so Beloved helped with that. We're both glad to see him move away from the licensed stuff - which, by definition, is pretty limited - and into the City line, which is more conducive to wide-open play.

 

I didn't see anything I wanted in dolls, but they had lots of the ‘My Favorite Barbie' repros, with about six Bubblecuts and four Malibus. The March release ones weren't out yet. The Speed Racer set had been cut to $20., which wasn't bad at all. Barbie-sized porcelain Disney Princess dolls, that spin on a musical stand, were down to $20, too - they'd been $49.99 before Christmas. I'd read about Wizard of Oz Peek A Boo Cuties (those Little Kiddle-tiny dolls), but since the set didn't include my fave green girl, I only gave them a glance. They were also well-stocked on the ‘Then and Now' playline Barbie, which, rumor has it, will sell for $3. on March 09, the exact anniversary of Barbie's unveiling at Toy Fair in 1959. For now, she's $12.99. I checked.

 

Oh, and the MAD stands came in yesterday - I forgot to check my mail, or I'd have had them then. Not bad, considering I ordered them Sunday. They came in such a tiny package, but they were in perfect shape. They fit together well, and work just ‘as seen on the Internet'. I love them, and I'm glad I ordered three. If I ever quit wasting all my days downloading and organizing machine embroidery designs and sew again (heavy irony zone), you'll see them on the site soon. I give these stands a big ole five-star rating, they're fantastic !

 

So we came home from TRU - and everyone went for his/her own thing. Dearest began assembling, Beloved had a new AirSoft weapon to sight, and I... wasn't quite sure what to do with m'self. Noodled around on line for a while, wrote a thank-you note to MAD stands, and re-found those stars and planets wall stickers Beloved got me from Dollar Tree last month. Hmm. I've already written in the manual to my new machine, directions for uploads that I understand... why not do a bit more customization to my new machine ? It's assuredly mine now ! The plastic-sided case that came with soon had a big, colorful planet sticker attached to it, and the machine itself - I have got to find out his/her name already ! - soon had a few smaller stars sprinkled around. Much better. If you're gonna have a sewing machine to make custom stuff, why not make the machine itself one-of-a-kind, I always say.

 

Oh, and this is silly but noteable. Back when I didn't quite understand how to get more than one design stored on the machine via the USB connection, I was pretty darn ticked that I'd paid $100. more for a function that did not work the way I thought it would. I was wrong, it works perfectly, but whoever wrote those directions... anyway. New Hancock Fabrics ad was in this week, and there's sales on machine feet. Turns out, the enhanced accessory package on my upgraded machine included about $120. in extra feet. Wheee !

 

Tempting as the ad is - 99c patterns will always lure me out of my hermit-hole ! - I'm trying to stay away from Hancock's for a while. I mean, we spent about $70. there this month already ! So I doubt I'll be going there any time soon, but I love to look at the ad.

 

And the title challenge is from The Empire Strikes Back , from Han to Leia as the Hoth base falls apart, but you already knew that. 

The Living Room Disaster Movie - tonight at 9pm (8 central)

 

Current Mood : Restless

 

Quiet sort of catch-up day. All week, I've had a sneaking fear that our landlord would drop by, see the disaster area the living room has degenerated into through the front windows, and leave us an eviction notice ! Yes, it was that bad. So I dug in and got it cleaned up. If I had a buck for every bit of Lego I picked up, I'd make back all we spent on machine embroidery supplies and designs. If I had a buck for every AirSoft pellet, I'd pay back the machine.

 

Speaking of the new machine, this'll make you laugh. After hearing for years that ya gotta be careful with computerized sewing machines and magnets - mechanical ones were fine - I removed the magnetic sheet covering the rusted-wide-open vent under my sewing table, the day we ordered it. That vent either freezes or roasts my feet, and the magnet covering it was the only thing that made it tolerable. So I hated to lose it, but...

 

After some time with the bewitching Brother, I figured there was enough space and desk between him/her and the vent, so I put it back on. Whew ! Today's project went much better ! Most things, I find, are better when your feet are comfy. It was then that I realized... I still had a magnetic pin catcher, only about a foot away ! D'oh !

 

Well, anyway. Today I used the letters I downloaded Sunday to finish Dearest Son's game controller bag, version 2.0. This time I got off my lazy butt and actually changed thread colors when the machine stopped for it, like I'm supposed to. Ya don't have to, of course, but different colors make for more visually appealing items ! He now has a bigger drawstring bag with fireworks on one side, and his name in two colors on the other. It looks great ! And every success I have makes me want to sew more !!

 

Too bad I won't have much time until the weekend. Tomorrow's laundry day, there's enough around here to get lost under. And Dearest is off Friday - parent/teacher conference time - and while he's got his own fun, the frequent interruptions kind of key me up, so I tend to sew when no one's around. I'm not even sure what I want to make next. I just know that I'm really, really prepared for it !

Paper *and* stationery !

Current Mood : Sleepy

Spent on Crafts, Stationery, and Décor today : $6.08

 

Beloved Hubby returns to work tomorrow, so we made the best of today. I cut his hair, which he hates to do himself but normally does anyway. I said I'd try. It actually doesn't look too bad, and it's not that hard. He's happy with it, so it's all good !

 

I'm working on another craft for ThriftyFun.com - they paid me their standard $15. for using the Advair chair craft ! And I like money in PayPal. So while we were out and about for a bit, we stopped at Hobby Lobby. Alas, no 40% off coupon this week, but we only spent $4., so it wasn't a bad thing. I scored some cream textured paper and flat green in art (read : bigger and cheaper than scrapbook) size for $3., and a tiny ‘embroidery' sewing machine charm - they were half price !

 

The cream paper is going to cover a largish cardboard box (castle and drawbridge) and the green will mask Pringles cans (turrets and towers). When it's done, it'll be a cheap castle version of Mattel's ‘My House' - they sell a small framework, but there's very few walls, so you can scale your own size from floors, tables, etc. The castle will have a front door (well, a drawbridge, instead) and the towers and turrets will be guard stations, storage, and alcoves. It'll go on the Crafty site, too.

 

From there, we hit Hobby Town, and I scored several freebie racing stickers for Dearest Son, and bought a small vial of beige Testors paint. Last year, I found the cutest little plastic Belle doll - I think it's a DecoPak, used on cakes. I really liked the design, so it was a shame she had several scrapes to her face that marred the paint. Well, that's fixed now ! Less than five minutes later, with a drop of paint and a toothpick, she looks brand-new. It just bugs me that I spent $1.75 to repair a 25c figurine ! At least I have plenty more for this year's crop of yard sale goodies !

 

GoodWill didn't have much, but I scored a package of unopened envelopes, 50 for 50c, and a dollar bag full of old stationery. I just love sending notes to Dearest's school on the fun stuff !

 

Oh, and I found a way to use the other-language manual that came with the Brother. While I don't scrapbook, I keep ‘found' stickers - you know, the ones on new shirts, Beloved's Big Mac with no pickles order, yard sale prices, nametags from Dearest's school - in the back of a notebook we use for budgeting. The Brother came with several ‘tie down' stickers, and a ‘Checked With Pride' one. So, I cut out a nice image of the machine from the manual I'll never use, and taped it down with the packaging stickers ! It then occurred to me that it'd be a great way to use up old manuals -  you could make your own notebook, or use pieces to scrapbook, or decorate envelopes with. It's actually kind of fun to look at all the stickers when the bills are depressing !

Reorganizing ranks !

 

Current Mood : Relieved I won't have to do that again any time soon !

Spent on Sewing today : $3. for three downloaded sets ! 

 

OK, so here's what I can tell you if you ever get bit - and bit hard ! - by the machine embroidery bug, and start downloading free images online. For starters, there's millions of ‘em, but the ones you absolutely flat-out adore are either $7. for a single image or $20. for the package. That said, even if you only download the free ones you're sure to stitch up, and can ‘see' yourself using and enjoying, you'll soon have a huge pile of ‘em, and even sorted into folders, they're a mess.

 

Windows of any vintage doesn't recognize various sewing machine formats as images. So when you look at what you got, you see a lot of plain white ‘sheets of paper' and ‘manila folders'. Especially if you're a dingbat like me and didn't bother to cut/paste the little images of your downloaded goodies when you got ‘em. So now, you have a Milky Way of different versions of ‘star.pes' and a Humane Society-load of ‘cat.pes'. 

 

There's only two ways around this. One is to be intelligent and forward thinking, and snag the image when you get the design. The other is to download a digitizer like Embird or Pe-Design, both of which will gladly give you tiny thumbnails of it all. Too bad each only has a 30-day free trial, and after that, keepin' up with yer crap will be $145., minimum.

 

Well, maybe I mis-spoke. There is a third way, if you've already booted One. And that's how I spent most of today. Trying to find all the downloads - where I got ‘em, and from what pages - and copying the download images, then editing them so I can add tiny little .jpg images to the files. Whew. And, seriously, I don't really have that many. But with so many sites putting out so many designs, remembering if I got this cat there, this sewing machine from the forum, and this star set was a ‘free with purchase' bonus... whoo. That was really stupid of me !

 

It didn't take all day - just most of it. I got to go out with Beloved Hubby, and we had fun just driving and doing a bit of shopping. We stopped at the Asian grocery, and I got some rice crackers, but I don't really like them. I may have to make peace with Target once my Molly-car is back up.

 

Once home, I found that an the 70s-era eBay lot I won Friday had already arrived ! Wow. The Ballerina Barbie was near mint - only one of her hair's rubber bands had broken. Aside from a bit of surface dirt, she is just beautifully perfect. And, as a surprise, one of the seller's clothing lots didn't sell, so she tossed it into mine ! I don't recognize any of the outfits, but it's always nice to have more ! I need to write her a nice thank-you note beyond just the glowing feedback...

 

I also got the Brother registered, just in case.

USB ! Embroidery ! I can do it easily !!

 

Current Mood : Elated and sated ! 

 

I did it ! Whooo-eeee ! The USB holds no further mystery to me ! Of course, I want ten minutes alone with whoever wrote the manual...

 

Beloved Hubby ended up not going to the AirSoft games today - it was only 27 degrees this morning, and that seriously interferes with weapons play. But we were up early, like 5am early, so we had a nice home-made breakfast - link sausages with syrup and biscuits - and went back to bed. DFIL must think we spend most of our weekends in the bedroom, as we were still asleep when he dropped off Dearest Son this morning.

 

Speaking of, Dearest was less than impressed at first with his little monogrammed drawstring bag, once it was apparent there was nothing inside ! He came around later, and started storing Lego figures - to him, the important pieces of Lego ! - inside. It does fit the game controller for his laptop, something that's normally transported inside a Mal-Wart sack tied to the cushioned hard case he uses for his laptop, but it's a bit tight. So I'm gonna make another one.

 

With downloaded designs ! With my guys home, we had a slow, relaxing day. I even took a nice afternoon nap, after re-reading the USB manual a few more times. It's only seven pages, counting the usual FCC regulations page. By the time I was ready, I'd cleaned off my desk, straightened out the USB cable and connected it, and decided which designs would be the first to transfer. The onboard memory on the sewing machine can only hold twelve designs at a time, so I needed to choose wisely. I also wound a fresh bobbin, and got the machine threaded with a full spool of regular ole thread. The drop-in bobbin has a clear case, so I can now see when the thread's running low ! Cool ! Also, when I use the machine's ‘cut threads' function, it pulls both top and bottom threads to the underside. Awesome. Hooped up some fresh unbleached muslin, and proudly bore the machine to my computer desk, along with the manuals and software.

 

Since the manual didn't say whether or not the machine had to be on, and it didn't show a power cord in the illustration, I left it. And had to go back to the Lab to get it. But once it was all installed, my computer instantly saw the Brother as Removable Disk L, the drivers installed in less than a minute, and it was but seconds of click/drag to transport designs between them. Gleefully, I gathered the Brother back to the Lab and got ready to Em-BROY-Derrrrrrr !

 

Unfortunately, the USB manual doesn't mention that you'll lose everything in unstored memory once the power is shut off to the machine. And once you transfer stuff, that's it for the directions in the USB manual.  (sigh) So I unplugged it once more and carried it back to the computer, this time, dragging the main manual along. The main does say that, and offers a way to store designs to the Brother's memory, and they'll stay there until erased. Again, it can only hold twelve, max.

 

So I did it again, and... the designs vanished when I turned it off. And every time I tried to store anything, I got a ‘do you want to delete the current design ?' message. I was really getting frustrated, but I finally got one in memory. Restored, I tried to store another. And got the ‘do you wanna delete ?' message again. What, I could only store one ?! It seemed to be so. Everything else I tried got me either a ‘fail' beep or a ‘delete' message. Arrrgh.

 

Reread both manuals, and didn't know much more after as before. It really seemed as though turning off the power would erase everything, so I'd need to 1) either move the computer back into the Lab, so I could move it without powering down, 2) carry Dearest's laptop to the Lab to transfer designs, or 3) find one of the $60.+ cards the machine was set up to use. How frustrating !

 

But just about when I was gonna take my one design and at least try it, I decided to go through the machine's memory. And the last four designs were in there ! WTH ? Evidently, the ‘wanna delete' just refers to the temp memory, not the stored memory of the machine. Too bad there's no way to tell the difference ! Downloading ‘em puts ‘em in temp memory, and storing them requires deleting ‘em from temp once they're in system memory.

 

Of course, this is nowhere in either manual. So I wrote down how I did it with Design #5, and it worked ! Yeah, it was as kludgy an interface as Dearest's game controller's last week, but I'm starting to think one helped me understand the other. And, heck, I got it, which is the main thing. I soon had #5 in system memory, and wrote down directions in the right page of the manual. Using those, I got #6 in without thinking, so I got it now !

 

Then, it was time. Since I'd already done all the ‘leg work' earlier, I just had to reinstall the embroidery platform and then the hoop, and choose a design. And. It. WORKED !! Dearest claimed the ‘fireworks' design for his next drawstring bag, but I didn't have time to work on putting the new-font free-download initials on the other side. So I'll work on it tomorrow, while he's in school.

 

Yeah, I could have spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in the Lab, happily embroidering stuff, but it's increasingly rare to have long, leisurely weekends with my fellas. So I chose to hang out with them instead. Tomorrow, I'm going into the City with Beloved, and he's promised to stop anywhere I like. Unless there's a thrift in our path, I don't see us stopping, except for lunch, maybe. I got the Sewing Notions embroidery design set I've been wanting, since I know that USB and downloads work, and I think that's about all I'll need for a while. Aside from any adorable free downloads, that is ! 

 

Oh, and I ordered the MAD doll stands. Her shop is back up, and she says she'll mail Monday. So, expect a review on those soon after they arrive. If they're half as good as they look on her site, I'll be so very happy ! Once I can get to the dolls and stuff, my lab is a wreck right now ! Backed up all my new patterns, old blogs, and photos on the hard drive to a CD-R, something I've not done since maybe October.

 

So, while I spent $42. today, it all came out of my eBay sales, so in my mind, it doesn't count ! I love my creative book-keeping, don't you ? 

 

And I forgot to tell ya - we curb-shopped a free office chair Friday. It was dirty, but in decent shape, so I got it cleaned up today, and it's my new computer chair. Dearest got to choose between his current one and my older one, and his old one is going out to our curb this week.

 

Before I forget again, here's a link straight to the American Girl pattern sets (make sure you have Adobe Reader installed) -

 

http://www.agplaythings.com/AG%20Patterns/DollDressPatterns.html

 

AG Playthings.com is also fun to browse around, once you're done downloading all six sets !!

A bunch of Ms and hearts...

 

Current Mood : Upset that I upset someone else, but otherwise quite pleased with m'self. 

 

I still haven't opened poor New Malibu. It's been a busy day again. It took me a while, and a series of M's, but I finally ‘get' machine embroidery. I stayed with using the on-board designs today, making sure I knew how to use the hoop and embroidery table, and it took some time and a minor headache, but I can use the designs with no problem, even take care of problems like thread breaking or running out !

 

I was experimenting with M's because they're Beloved Hubby's initial. The first one, frankly, looked awful. Thread broke twice - I was using regular spool thread, it's allowed, although embroidery thread is preferred  - and the tension was wrong. Second one tangled on the back and missed a bunch of stitches, but the tension was better. Third emptied the spool, but this time, I knew how to fix things, and the tension was still not right, but it looked somewhat better.

 

Got tired of monograms after the third M, so I switched to something else. Found the leftover - and mis-sewn ! - unbleached muslin from the dining area curtains, and got some of that hooped. Confession time - I'm pulling used dryer sheets from the collection of ‘em I have for stabilizer. Same box I started when I began sewing in '02, and we lived in that crappy apartment with the crappier laundry room. It's working OK for practice purposes, but soon, I'm gonna hafta crack open the expensive stuff.

 

Found a one-color cute little heart, and did that. Perfect ! For fun, I tried to put one of the included ‘frames' around it, in the shape of a shield. I was just a bit off center, but it really showed. It was still cute, though, so I folded it up and left it on Beloved's desk with a note saying he'd always have my off-center heart. It's now hanging up over his computer. (glee !)

 

We watched Point Break together, and he drifted off for a nap. I still wanted to embroider stuff. So I played with putting several different elements on the same ‘canvas', since the machine allows some repositioning and a few editing functions. The British-type crown came out well, so I decided to put a ‘D' under it. Well, I have to learn to record how tall patterns are, because the crown is sitting over the top of the letter. Again, it's still cute, so what the heck. Not sure what I'm gonna do with it yet. Put the same heart design on the KJ's machine cover, which is sort of a scrapbook of my sewing - it's one of the first things I sewed back in '02.

 

I wanted to learn how to put letters together, so I read that part. The machine is, frankly, amazing. You can string the on-board alphabet series' letters together until you run out of space, simply by typing them. And once space is maxed out, you can compress the letters together a bit to make space ! Very cool ! So I did Dearest Son's name in muslin, and it came out great. Fashioned that panel with another into a simple drawstring bag, for his laptop game controller, or Lego, or whatever. Can't wait ‘til he sees it.

 

Remember that Happy Meal ‘Twin Stars' digital watch that nice young lady at McD's gave me ? I cut the band off, and learned that there was a peg on the inside that kept me from simply running a wide band of elastic or fabric for a band that fit my wrist. While cleaning up to use the new sewing machine, I found the strap pieces, and decided to make a doll belt out of ‘em. It'd get ‘em out of the way, and at the time, I was dawdling a bit before the Big Embroidery Experiment. Came out great ! It's a big, wide belt, dark grey with blue stars, that fastens in front. I'll have to take some photos.

 

After the embroidery efforts were done, I still had the watch part. I kinda liked it, so I dug through the elastic storage - aha ! Narrow ‘rainbow' elastic, two strips, would go around the internal pin, and give me a unique band. I even detached the embroidery platform and regular-sewed it on the new machine. So I now have a funky digital watch in the shape of a blue star with a double-rainbow band, and a punk doll belt. Not bad for a giveaway HM toy !

 

But, no good without some bad. Evidently the person who sold me the much-delayed, badly packed, shipped-cheap Barbie Country Living Home just discovered my negative feedback. To say he/she wasn't happy with me is an understatement. Let's just say that he's/she's gonna tell eBay on me, and an f-bomb was employed in the e-mail. Also the admonition to get a life. While it's tempting to engage, I'm not even gonna respond. If eBay asks, they get the facts, but evidently, this person forgets that they waited until I asked where it was to even ship it, over a week after I paid, and they used cheaper shipping than I paid for. I have no idea what they're gonna tattle to eBay on me for, other than I hurt their feelings by reporting it like it is. Well, next time, either communicate when you're taking an eternity to mail yer stuff, or ship when you're supposed to, Dear ! (sigh)

 

Tomorrow, in the early AM, Beloved Hubby's going out to play AirSoft, and it'll be just me and Dearest. So I'm gonna try using the USB port to import new designs and try them out. I'll be studying the completely separate USB manual tonight, so please keep those good wishes coming !

Four new barefoot girls !

 

Current Mood : Wow !!

 

Spent on dolls today : $10.

Spent on Lab décor yesterday : $2.70

 

And I fully intended to do a complete review and photo session with New Malibu. That was my intent, fully. But, well, things and stuff... I never know what'll happen next some days !

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention that, when we hit Mal-Wart the other day, we scored a DP Calendar on 75% off ! Whee ! I hung my updated old one in the bedroom, and the new one in the Lab. The graphics on it have been on the Valentine-worded Valentines pictured here this month. 

 

I was also supposed to start embroidery work on the new sewing machine, but I wimped out. I don't know why I'm suddenly so scared and nervous. It's still under warranty, but it won't be forever, so I gotta get on it ! But heck, today was a busy one, and if I'd intended seriously to embroider I'd have either found the time or been upset that my plans were disturbed. That's typical of Asperger's Syndrome folks, so we kinda know where Dearest Son gets that from !  

 

Beloved Hubby surprised me by taking the afternoon off. He had errands anyway, he said, and there was some stuff I wanted to do, too. So, off we went, shortly after lunch. We found a garage sale, and I should have known better, it's too early in the season. Yes, pickings were slim, and it was the rare sale wherein I didn't find anything.(affecting a snooty voice ) After all, everyone knows the Season doesn't really begin until March, sometimes later ! (giggles)

 

We got his stuff done, which included getting the parts we know Molly-car needs -  yaaay ! Now we just need to find time for him to tear her engine and transmission apart. Still, we have parts, so it won't be much longer now. But we weren't headed for home yet. He surprised me again by going to the Flea Market. And I had another surprise waiting for me...

 

 

 

The car set doll seller had these lovelies ! It's rare for her to have anything more than six or seven years old, but there these girls were ! Thank Everything they weren't in a car set ! She's more expensive than most - hers are $3. each, or 2 for $5. - which is still cheap, but most other sellers charge a dollar, tops. Beloved found four VHS tapes at a buck each, and we made a quick circuit. I wanted to get the new girls cleaned up and identified, and he wanted some prime sofa time. Plus, Dearest would be home soon.

 

It took me a while to ID these lovelies. The brunette is heavily damaged and stained, but dressed, you can't tell. She and the redhead are Dramatic New Living Barbies, and their feet work ! I've read about them, how their feet can pose from high-heel to flats, but I'd never seen one before. And now I have two ! The blonde on the far left is a Live Action Barbie, who also has poseable feet. In fact, I'd have believed her to be a DNL like her sisters, but her butt-markings were different.

 

The other lashless blonde was a real puzzle. There are darn few blonde brown-eyed Barbies. And her body was clearly that of a Free Moving doll, with the back-tab. But FM Barbie (snicker) never had brown eyes. Only thing I could figure was that I had a hybrid head-swap, even though the body matched the head so well, I didn't even think that until I had no alternative. The Sears-exclusive Walking Jamie doll had brown eyes, and came in three hair colors, including blonde. That would seem to solve that, but for one problem. Jamie has rooted eyelashes. This girl doesn't even have holes or a slot for lashes, I took her head off to check. It's not like it matters, but it is a puzzle. In any case, welcome four new barefoot lovelies to Chez Insanity !

 

That wasn't the end of my day, though. Thanks to a morning nap - I kept waking up last night - I wasn't sleepy at all tonight. So, I trawled eBay, which is dangerous, because I found something there, too. For the longest time, I've wanted ‘Princess Aurora', a Ballerina Barbie tutu pretty enough to be an evening dress. It's red and gold brocade bodice drapes over tons of gold-embroidered white tulle. When the seller can identify it, it often goes for about $20., loose with no accessories, plus shipping. And finding it on its own without clues is rare, but not completely impossible. I've found it several times, but again, my cheap ways got me outbid every time. Plus, it wasn't ever much more than a sigh and a yearn.

 

Last night, it was a find and a steal. I got a 70s-era case, about ten outfits, the Aurora tutu - and a Ballerina Barbie ! She looks to be in fab shape ! I can't wait to get this lot. Amazingly, I found it with less than two minutes to go, and I was the sole bidder. Yaay, me ! Already paid up, and it gets shipped tomorrow. Whoo-hoo !

 

And now, I'm ready for bed. Tomorrow, while Beloved catches up on all the stuff he kinda blew off today, I'm gonna learn machine embroidery. I'm scared and worried, but I gotta try ! It's time.

 

Wish me luck !

Me and Malibu... together again.

 

Current Mood : Loved and loving...

 

Well, after today, I'm out of qualms and excuses, and it'll be time to play with the embroidery functions of Brother. That's his (?) name until he tells me otherwise. Dearest Son was still wiped out this morning, so we kept him home. I was feeling better, but oddly tired, so after the trash was out and the bus and school were called, I slept for two hours, and awoke feeling better.

 

So much better that I realized something. Even though Beloved told me to enjoy my new toys today, dishes and such could wait (isn't he the best !), I couldn't do it. I was too keyed up to do anything besides while away the morning at the computer and contemplate doing something about the house, but the Lab seemed to be off limits. It was as though I just couldn't relax until the kitchen was at least half-way not a health hazard. I guess it goes back to the old saw, ‘the kitchen is the heart of the home', and until mine had some clean plates, glasses, and silverware in it, I wasn't gonna have any fun.

 

So I got off my butt, plugged in the Mp3, and got to work. An hour later, I still hadn't finished the dishes, but we had enough clean to fill the dishwasher racks and keep us merrily in utensils until I could go after the rest. Hmp. That may explain why I wasn't at all creative last year - I was kinda down and didn't clean much. Was easier to remain on butt. Can't have that this year ! Too much going on, and it's only mid-February !

 

Anyway. Beloved had a free afternoon, so we all trundled into the truck and hit the big 50% off all notions sale at Hancock Fabrics, now through Sunday. While we were just there last Sunday, I hadn't picked up any embroidery supplies, as Dearest was obnoxiously restless. Now, I actually needed them - and back then, I wasn't expecting the machine to arrive until 2/23. I'm glad I waited, because even at half-off, the stabilizers, embroidery thread, new rotary blades, and matching green-stone shoe decoration (soon to become a pair of earrings !) were still expensive. But I have a lot to experiment with, and it's time to go for it. Tomorrow, of course.

 

We hit GoodWill and Salvation Army, too, and only Dearest found anything, another, thankfully smaller BatCar. From there, we hit Mal-Wart, and bought a buncha stuff ! Dearest found yet another Lego set he liked, and a movie, Beloved found a scope and brackets for the AirSoft weapon he has, and I... found that this store had a complete stock of all the 50^th Anniversary Barbie stuff they'd been sold out of for weeks. All the current ‘My Favorite Barbie' reproductions, the travel mug, the playing cards, the magnets, and the cases I'd heard were recalled - it was all there. Even the Julia repro was well-stocked.

 

I confess, when the first ‘My Favorite' run had sold out so quickly, I was a bit sad. I'd talked myself out of wanting that Malibu - the Superstar was an easier no-sale - for so long, it was partially a relief that they were gone. But the regret pangs were sharp for a while. So I really wasn't prepared for them to be back in stock ! Without a word, Beloved lined up the two yellow packages, and stood back. I can has Malibu ? Yes, pick one. Or any of them I wanted. Choose wisely...

 

My greedy eyes jumped back and forth. Yes. I wanted Malibu. I will always want Malibu. Ever since Christmas 1971, when it all began. And then as now, I have a shiny new Malibu Barbie. She's in my earliest memories, and a part of me now. And the world loves us two.

 

(contented sigh)

Everything in a day...

 

Current Mood : Capricious

 

The living room wasn't spotless, but I did have delivery people visit ! Actually, I wasn't feeling too good this morning, and I'd just stretched out on the sofa for a few minutes, so my head would quit spinning. I have no idea what I got into - or what got into me - but I was light-headed and a bit nauseous all day. Beloved Hubby said he felt much the same, and Dearest Son's school called, saying he was pale and sound asleep. Beloved picked him up, he was running a slight fever. Dearest, not Beloved.

 

And, of course, I'd just gotten to the warm and floaty place when I sensed movement outside. Mail call ! It was the Country Living Home, finally. The box was... creatively made from a shipping package and a cardboard soda can flat, but at least it got here.

 

It wasn't packed very well, either - all the chairs had come apart, but I was able to fix them. I'm not sure if that crack in the roof was there before or during, it didn't show in the photos, but it wasn't too bad. I was feeling generous, and decided instead of giving them their first negative, I'd simply relate the slow shipping in the comments and go neutral. I was glad to have just gotten it.

 

At least, I was - until I saw they'd shipped it Parcel when I paid extra for Priority. They did, however, spring for delivery confirmation. Well, sorry guys. It's one thing to wait nine days after I pay to ship, but when I pay for Priority, I should get Priority. Sure, it may not have made a difference. But I hate feeling ripped off, and this auction was just one disappointment after another. So, after agonizing over it for two hours, I negged ‘em. I still feel petty and mean, but if I can get my sold items schlepped across town, when I don't even have a working vehicle, surely someone else can make an effort.

 

Still, it's in mostly decent shape, so I'm gonna enjoy it - later. Because my sewing machine came in two hours after that ! Dearest, however, had extracted a promise from Beloved to install Lego Batman  on Beloved's computer, since the laptop was struggling with it. Unfortunately, Beloved had to go back to work, so it fell to me. At least it'd be something fairly restful for him to enjoy, he was still pretty pale. So I got to it.

 

Two hours later, I was done. Whew. The game, while possessed of an extremely kludgy control menu (more later), wasn't that difficult to install. It was Dearest's joystick controller that was a PITA. Couldn't find the drivers, had to download and install ‘em. Then, once the game was up, assign ‘Axis Y' to ‘travel left', and I can assure you, that menu was a serious butt-burr. Got it all done, and started it up - much better ! - and Dearest gladly took the game controller from me... and it seems I set up everything wrong. (sigh) After a half-hour of play, he was pretty frustrated.

 

So, I had to halt the game, take the disc out of Beloved's computer, put it back in Dearest's, copy down all his control assignments, then put the disc back in Beloved's, and fight with the menu again. This might have taken an experienced gamer ten minutes, tops, but I was triumphant, and I count it as a personal victory that I did it, with no further plaints from Dearest. Whew !

 

By the time I got that done, I just wasn't in a mood to immediately go after unpacking and setting up the new sewing machine. And I was nursing the hints of an impending headache. So I rummaged for a late lunch and intended to just relax for a half-hour or so. Plus DFIL needed help - he'd locked his keys inside his car, and was hoping we had a spare. Nope. Kinda felt bad we couldn't help.

 

An hour and a half later, I dragged myself off the computer and got the new sewing machine unpacked. I was oddly reluctant to move my Kenmore/Janome. I was actually sad about it. It's not like I'm gonna abandon it, or give it away, but I'd had some great times and learned a lot with KJ. At least I could still see it every day, and would probably still use it occasionally. But I still felt the bite of nostalgia and a sniffle of sadness.

 

Plus, the manual to the Brother machine took two pages to explain how to turn it on, so I was a bit apprehensive about the learning curve I'd soon be under. When I looked over the ‘how to wind a bobbin' directions earlier this week, I found m'self studying a diagram that looked like a flow chart for installing fuel cylinders on the Space Shuttle. This is how I can explain my apprehension and reluctance to open a brand-new, sparkly, amazing sewing machine.

 

But I got KJ stored where I could see it, and installed Brother. Wow. It took me several minutes to thread it correctly - even with all those drawings, a text manual, and an animated tutorial on the machine's menu screen, I couldn't tell if the thread was supposed to go behind one silver piece or not. Once I got it right, though...wow. Quiet, easy, and fun. The needle threader is fun to watch, even though it's not all servomotors - it's actually spring-loaded, and you control the switch. And there, at the end of the directions, was a few small lines of ‘once threaded, it should look like this'. About three pages from where I could have used it. Oh, well.

 

I soon negotiated through the stitch directory, and sewed a few lines of decorative stitches, played with the needle placement, and found ¼" from both center and left positions. I haven't played with the embroidery functions yet- no time and a headache worked against me - but I will, and soon !

 

Plans and hopes...

 

Current Mood : Restless

 

Well, I finally got a tracking number for my dollhouse - the one I ‘won' back on 02/05, and didn't hear jack about until I emailed the sellers on 02/14. Yup, the package I've obsessed about nearly all month is a dollhouse, specifically the Barbie Country Living Home. I fell in love with the graphics on the walls, because they're so like my much loved Friend Ship airplane's designs and colors, and they were only a year apart, from what I can find.

 

Anyway, after losing my third auction for one, always at the last second, I found a Buy It Now, and hit the button. And evidently, the sellers just forgot about it. So glad I paid extra for Priority shipping ! You should have seen me haunt the mailbox all last week, only to find out Saturday that they were intending to mail it that day ! I still had to ask them for the tracking number Sunday, possibly they forgot about me again, the... kind intelligent folks.

 

It's left the neighboring state, so with any luck it'll be here tomorrow. And then I'm waiting on the sewing machine (wheeeee !) and a design set I ordered. With all that, I should be quite sated with stuff for a while... at least, until Friday. There's a flea market - not the Collectables one - at the Fairgrounds...

 

On second thought, I may be too busy. According to UPS tracking, my sewing machine should be here tomorrow, too ! Wow ! You know I'll be hovering at the door all day Wednesday. Living room's gonna be spotless.