Hope broken dolls don't creep you out, too...

 

Current Mood : Sleepy and happy. And surrounded by clean laundry !

 

Sorry this one's late, too. I was literally too busy to write - and a lot happened. Some of it is actually interesting...

 

Promised to take Dearest Son out for a bit of a prowl - he'd earned five bucks from housework and a big toy give-up, and already had three, so he was more than ready to go ! He was hunting for a particular Bakugon figure ($5.), but after that, he was eager to see what was out there.

 

So we hit Mal-Wart first. I got some more water bottles filled. For some reason, I'm real hyper about getting all our empty ones topped off. Probably so they'll be useful and used, instead of empties in the way. He soon found his Bakugon, and we were looking idly at other offerings. I'd noticed an endcap of new Hot Wheels cars, and after finding nothing in the regular 'toy cars' section, we had a quick peek - and Dearest found a Delorean ! I'd heard that Hot Wheels had the license to do them, and a buncha folk had decided to do the evil toy thing and snap 'em all up, try to get big bucks for 'em on eBay.

 

Too bad Delorean Motor Company got wind of it. They bought thousands of the cars, and sold 'em for a buck plus shipping to whoever wanted 'em. Pretty soon, the eBay speculators were stuck, because no one was buying 'em. Personally, I loved it. The ones Dearest found (note the plural, there) were a second version, of a gold car. But fully licensed as a classic gull-wing door Delorean. The end cap must've had a dozen of 'em. Like any good collector - hey, he learns from me, both good and bad ! - he lined up six and chose two. He wanted to get one for his Daddy ! How sweet.

 

I snagged a few groceries and we were off to the nearby thrift. She had some new dolls, but I still hate to pay $4. for what is essentially two nude dolls, one dress I like, and one I don't. So I didn't get anything, and Dearest wanted to save his remaining cash for the flea market.

 

On the way there, we hit a yard sale, and he found a cute Beanie Baby plush cat for a quarter. Man, the second-hand market is choked with those things, and dirt cheap. You'd be proud of me - I turned down a $5. My Size Barbie in great shape. Has the new face, not much like the three I already have, so it wasn't too hard to say 'no' for once. The new face is pretty, but somehow not as sweet as the older ones.

 

On to the Flea ! I had hopes of getting out of there Scott-free, but it wasn't gonna happen. I was poking through the new dolls Brenda - of the car sets - had while Dearest fell in love with a Barbie red Mustang convertible. With a crack in the windshield and a missing front fender. (sigh) Brenda offered to sell it to him for $8. instead of the $12. on the sticker...arrgh. Well, we combined funds and were still a couple bucks short, but he got his car. He was happily bearing it off, back to Molly for home and lunch - when he suddenly got sick.

 

I cleaned it and him up as best as possible, asking him to tell me what was wrong. Clearly his stomach hurt, and he was pale and shaking a bit. He said he had the worst headace ever, so we hustled out and I put him on the sofa for a lie-down. He slept for two hours, then woke refreshed and hungry. I think he had a flash allergy. I get those too. While she doesn't usually wear perfume, Brenda's booth was heavily scented, a sort of old-fashioned powdery scent that's sort of floral - and almost fog-like in its density. He'd been fine and  happy all day, until he hugged her, and then was nearly instantly ill.

 

Even though he ate most of his lunch, I insisted that he hang out on the sofa until it was time for DFIL to pick him up for his weekend visit at his grandparents'. He felt much better, but I still worried. I took the couple bucks we still owed Brenda up to the Flea, and reassured her that Dearest was doing much better.

 

She then had a surprise for me. While I was gone, she'd made a trade for some dolls, and didn't need this one - would I like to try to restore her ? Wow. I knew instantly that the poor dismembered, broken doll in the bag was an authentic Ideal Patti Playpal. A few weeks ago, I was reading how someone'd found one in a Dumpster, filthy but intact, and so she cleaned it up and gave it to her daughter. Idly, I wished for that sort of luck - they're very pretty, and really expensive. Well, here was my luck ! Not quite as amazing, but the Universe knows I love a challenge, and the Universe loves me. I didn't know how much until I really got a good look at this little love note...

 

The head was sunken into the chest, leaving her a literal no-neck monster. While the arms were intact, the elastic cording that originally strung them was long gone, and the substitute loop of twine was doing a less than adequate job. Her plastic had split right at the crotch, which detached both legs, but one had a flange torn so thoroughly, that even if I managed to fix the crotch, I'm not sure if the torn flange would allow the doll to just stand, much less sit or move at all. Covering the entire waist area was tape residue from cloth, masking, duct, and paper tapes, and she was both filthy and scalped. Whoo. Lotta work here, but her face was lovely, her eyes and face paint were bright. Brenda said she wouldn't blame me if I trashed the whole project, but if there was a chance for her, it was with me.

 

So. Guess what my Summer '10 project is ? (grin) I'm doing some legwork for restoration tips, because I really would like to see her pretty again.

 

Once Beloved Hubby was home, he declared Patti 'Chucky', and was a bit weirded out that she was in sections. But it's not like we were home long. Friend was moving and needed help, so off we went. Sometimes it's a pain to be the only one in the family with a large truck. After that, we had an invitation to go through the stuff up for Uncle's yard sale next weekend, and grab whatever we wanted for free. Beloved selected some tools, and I scored several small pieces of fabric. I was offered the whole box, but that's the last thing I need ! I only got the three prints and two solids I liked.

 

It was rather late when we got in, so we had a quick dinner and hit the sack. Not sure what'll happen Saturday, but today was certainly memorable !

Socks. Bane of my existence, truly...

 

Current Mood : Ready for bed !

 

Current Image Notes : Here's the 'D' from the freebie alphabet I'm collecting. So pretty ! And I experimented with PSP X2's clone stamp - something I never quite got right in 5.03 - to eliminate some clutter in the background. Yaaay - it works !

 

Another 'stay home and clean' day, which is fine with me. Our beautiful Spring has reverted to early winter for a few days, so the house is closed back up for the heat - and that always makes the enclosed spaces look cluttered and crowded. Time to work !

 

Getting rid of our dining room table was a great idea, but it didn't ditch our very nice dining room chairs - we kept those. Only problem is, six of them don't fit in easily without a table to cluster around. Beloved Hubby uses one as a computer desk chair, with another beside it, for space and seating. His desk is only about half the size of mine. I should know, since his desk used to be my sewing table. There's two more in his Studio, and one in the garage. The remaining one was in the way a lot, but it didn't have much of a choice. I'm always in and out of the pantry, but the door's usually closed. So I was constantly moving the chair in front of it, and to get to the computers or kitchen, ya had to pivot around it.

 

Too much in the way for me. At the same time, we were missing a bedside table for Beloved. The one he had just got new wheels attached and is a rolling cart for tattoo supplies in his Studio. Hmf. He fully intends to make himself a new table, but I know his schedule - by the time he gets time off, he'll be too tired to craft much of anything. I'd offer him my bedside table, but it's packed fulla various permutations of Fashion Plates. And the plastic drawer set he had before is now holding socks and underwear in Dearest Son's closet.

 

Hmmm. Spare chair. No bedside table. Solution ! Yup, I moved one of the armless chairs beside his bed, and put his lamp and book and pencils on it, with his other books and papers underneath. If he likes, he can even pivot the chair around so the cane back blocks some of the lamp's light, if it's too bright. At least it keeps his stuff from being a floor pile. And once he makes a better table, it can always migrate back to the living room or somewhere.

 

I also did a bit of advance computer work - I now have stitch guides edited and saved to the hard drive for the entire 'Lily of the Valley' embroidery design set I'm collecting. It's just up to 'J' today, but all I have to do now is just save 'em off. Editing all those images is kind of a drag, but doing it all at once streamlined it, and nearly made it fun. Still, I need to back off on the design collecting. Even if they are free.

 

Well, back to the laundry. I got six loads washed and dried - now I gotta put 'em away. And there's only two more loads left ! Whew !

 

Did Uncle say 'Yard Sale'...?

 

Current Mood : Contemplative...

 

We had DUncle and DBIL over last night kinda late, so I'm getting a delayed beginning to the day. At least that's the excuse I'm going with.

 

On the plus side, Uncle has decided to have a yard sale next weekend, to get rid of the last of the stuff he's not taking with him when he moves out of state at April's end. I've volunteered to help, and he says it's fine with him if we want to sell our stuff alongside, just keep track of the money involved. I'll probably help Thursday, to price stuff, then Friday and Saturday for the sale, and Sunday, if there's still stuff to sell. He's already decided to donate the power-scooter chair to the Veteran's Administration office down the street from him, which I think is wonderful. It was Beloved Hubby's idea.

 

Currently, I'm playing 'USB Shuffle', a fun game wherein you try to match up available space on USB drives with what you wanna back up. It involves file transfers, deleting, reinstalling, and updating ! And lots and lots of waiting. I'm surprised Milton Bradley doesn't have a board game version, but I'm sure I'm not the only techie who plays the home-made original one every few months.

 

Really, though, I have three USB drives - a 1GB, a 2GB, and a 4GB. Believe this or not, the embroidery design files are the leanest, at just under 2GB. Over 32 thousand files, maybe a third are actual designs. It still staggers me. My patterns weigh in at nearly 4GB, for dolls, crafts, and people, and the various photos I've been able to recover from last month's crash top out at just over 3GB. I had the embroidery on the 4GB, along with some other goodies, but I've since wiped the 4 clean for the patterns. The 2GB also got purged, and right now, it's backing up the embroidery files. Photos...well, I'll just have to burn a back up CD for those. Or find a nice 16GB on sale soon ! Having some stuff backed up to USB really saved my bacon on the last crash, so I hope to keep them updated, and burn discs maybe two or three times a year, instead of monthly. Like I used to, until mid-2008 !

 

(sigh) I gotta stay off the computer. And that goes double for eBay. After putting in a bid for some kimono fabric and watching the auction for two days, the owner closed it - nullifying my bid and changing it from a regular auction to a Buy It Now, for twelve times my high bid ! With only about fourteen hours to go, too. I thought that, once someone made a bid, you couldn't cancel or change the auction - guess that's not the case. qqqIt was the only one of his that didn't have more than one bid, and his shipping was ridiculous enough without this crap. He's actually well-known in doll circles, but see if I ever buy or bid on anything from him again. Jerk. If your fabric is worth so darn much, don't put it on eBay with a 99c opening bid - even I know there's a good chance that's what it'll close at !

 

Anyway. I finally got to spend some time in the Lab...cleaning and finding spaces for all the junk I've accumulated in the last month or so. It's a mess in there. I'm still not done, but at least it's out of the hallway and the doorway. For now, it's all sorted, but still not stored. I'm hoping for a bit more time this evening.

 

But now that there's a yard sale coming up, I'm looking around with different eyes. I'm giving serious thought to selling the Castle. Seriously, it's just not 'me', it never has been. What I really loved was buying a $125. toy for $5. so much, I did it twice. But now that it's folded up, I know I really prefer the Fashion Plaza, and I may never play with the Castle again. So, maybe I can get at least my money back for it, maybe a bit extra, because I'm greedy. Here's hoping.

 

There's a whole buncha stuff I can ditch, and maybe make a few bucks. The last box of craft supplies I got from the Habitat for Humanity garage sale was half fulla stuff I'll never use. It's possible I can make a buck or two of that $5. I spent back, and give someone else wonderful cheap supplies, too.

 

(grin) I may have just figured out a way to make cleaning the Lab fun...

 

Hiya ! Just when you thought I'd abandoned ship (again...)

 

Current Mood : Lazily contemplating all the work I gotta get done today...

Current Image Notes : I'm hoping this'll help rev me up a bit in the 'get off yer butt and into the Lab' demotivational issues I've had lately. And don't be fooled by the cover - it was only $2. ! BTW, what'cha think of my new 'quick photo post' ? I love being by a window ! Oh, and behind it is a bucket of stars that used to be in the hallway. I like the idea of having a bucket of stars. 

 

There. I'm all caught up. Sorry to have vanished so abruptly - I wish I had a better excuse for it than 'I just couldn't push or make myself to write for a week' and computer problems, but that's all there is. I think I needed the break, but I really should have said something like 'Gone crazy, back later', so no one would worry. I'll do better next time, if you'll accept my apology !

 

I'm nearly back to what passes for normal with me, so that's good. I have a metric ton of dishes and laundry waiting, which is enough to make me wanna go back to bed ! Instead, I'll write - that's a compromise, right ? :)

 

Even through there's not a lot going on. I'm still really enjoying Windows 7 - it has so many features I would have asked for, but never thought to. In every Win incarnation before, I was always pulling up 'Computer' to find a file or photo. In Seven, it's always up in the System tray, just waiting for a click. And I can hover over open windows also in the tray, and click on the one I want - like if I have six Firefox pages up. I can hover and click on just the one I wanna see. I'm also loving Firefox's Personas. In Vista, the window for it was too narrow, but in Seven, it's nice and big, and on the bottom edge, too ! Of course, mine's a black field full of bright shining stars. Although the animated lightning one was tempting...

 

Also, you know how there's a 'recently viewed' file on the Start menu ? Seems like what I wanted to work on was just one view short of the cut. In Seven, each 'recently used' program has it's own Recent file, so more is available faster. Nice.

 

I'm also gradually adjusting to only having PaintShopPro X2 on the computer. It's sometimes frustrating how doing something simple to an image is made more complicated, not less. And sometimes, the simple things I know to do in X2 don't work, so I have to restart it. I get soooo tempted to install 5.03, but I persevere.

 

Dearest Son found the chibi Millennium Falcon quad guns sometime last week, and I happily attached them. Now we're just missing the ramp, and it won't be long 'til we have to go through another semi-annual massive toy sort-out. I'm sure it'll turn up then.

 

I missed last weekend's Flea Market, since our twisted-up schedule had me confused for a bit, and by the time I remembered, the days for it had passed. But there's one this Friday, so I'll probably go. Unless I get all confused again !

 

Well, time to get to work. I brought in all the soda and water bottles, took out all the trash this morning. I tend to save the heavy lifting for the afternoon, after a few bites to eat. I'm really looking forward to my baked potato ! I'm also gonna find a place to store all the leather samples I bought for a quarter each at a yard sale a few years ago. They were displaced from Beloved's Studio during the big clean-out. They're still on the sample cards, some of which I'll use for the next fence-based 'FREE' sign, since they have nice brass grommets on 'em. There's fifteen total, but I'll only be able to salvage about five of the cards. The rest have coffee on 'em, or will get totally wrecked when I detach the leather.

 

It's always the 'I'll get to it later' jobs that sneak up on ya...

 

My idea of 'drunken sailor spending' equals burning through less than $20., go figure.

 

Current Mood : All spendy

Spent on doll stuff :  $1.61

Spent on nice paper, a Cinderella photo frame, a book : $3.78

 

Beloved Hubby left me with several $20. bills this morning - with Dearest Son at his grandparents', it was my day. And there was cash I could spend ! Of course, half of that went into Molly-chan's gas tank, but there was still plenty to have fun with !

 

First stop (after the gas station) was the 'new' GoodWill. I haven't been there since the new store's Grand Opening, so I was curious how it'd look without hordes of humanity and a bagel tray. Pretty good, actually. I was able to wander around a bit, and take my time. Found a Kelly outfit still in the package for 50c, a denim blouse and skirt with little pink shoes. I'll pick those up if the little boy 'Tommy' dolls can wear at least part of the outfit, too. I also found some vacuum cleaner bags that might work, they're not quite the right size, but for 50c, I was willing to take a chance.

 

No dolls this time, but I scored a neat Cinderella frame for 50c. I figured the tiny dolls could sit on it as a sort of throne, and it is a nice frame. The drawer on it really works. I looked it over carefully, and found a small chip, but a bit of paint will cover it, so I added it to the haul. And, for some reason, I got the copy of Creating & Crafting Dolls I decided against during the Grand Opening visit. It has a few cute ideas, including one for a doll dress I want to try for Princess Dorrie, so I decided to spend the dollar. Total : $2.70

 

It was tempting to hit the Dollar Tree across the street, but I'd just been there last week. I'd really wanted to check out the dolls advertised in their flyer - I get it in my e-mail - but they were awful. You know a doll and her clothes have to be real crap for me to say it's not worth the buck. And these weren't worth a quarter. Seriously.

 

So I moved on to the next target... Target ! I still wanted to check there for the right size vacuum bags, and just look around. Scored some star-themed scrapbooking paper and a 'Darth Vader' themed mini-coloring book for Dearest from their Dollar Spot, and moved on to toys. Thought about getting a sale Harumika 'Victoria' figure, especially since these have actual legs - and slots to make pants with ! But I decided against it, and looked around some more. Target is nearly as doll-deprived as Mal-Wart. Not a thing I wanted in the Barbie aisles.

 

Scored a few cheap snacks for my guys amid the discount Easter candies, and wandered to vacuums. Nope. They have even fewer bags to choose from than M-W. Poked around some more, found tape for my desk dispenser - why is that more expensive than the tape that comes on disposable dispenser ? - and some markdown glue sticks. I spent over $8. in there, but it was mostly house stuff and snacks.

 

Since I was across the street - and there was nothing of interest on the Hobby Lobby ad this week - I hit Big Lots. Not much new in dolls, but if I wanted twenty Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, I could have 'em. Only others were one 'Dolls of the World' France and one Scotland, all available for $20. each. Pretty dolls, especially Scotland, but I'm already swimmin' in dolls and wasn't really in the market for a new one. Instead, I snagged a copy of The Imagineering Way by the Disney Parks Imagineers from their sale shelves for $2. It looks like a fun read - but it took me a few minutes to find one without a damaged cover. Got Friday a rawhide chew, which he's currently enjoying.

 

They had a half-gondola shelf display of discounted hardware supplies, and I eagerly began to poke through it. At 70% off, there was bound to be something we could use. I soon found three hard rubber doorstops, which we really did need. We love to have the doors open in good weather, but the winds often slam them shut. Bricks and other efforts just slide along. At 41c each, these were a good find ! I found tons of screw hooks, nails, drawer pulls, and knobs. While digging, I also found good ball-bearing caster wheels. Beloved was looking for wheels for a cabinet in his Studio, and these were under 60c each ! He said the ones he was planning on buying later were $6. each, so he was pleased. He's already installed them, and they work well. Yaay me ! 

 

By now I was tired and I knew I had a sandwich I couldn't finish Saturday waiting for me at home, and I was hungry enough to eat it. I still brought home nearly $20., even with all my spending, so I'm happy with the day.

At least now I'm ready if we ever go anywhere again !

 

Current Mood : Improving, but distracted

Spent on a new Barbie travel mug : $8.63

 

Happy Easter ! Hope the Bunny was good to you ! He brought Dearest Son a TRU Bakugon tin that came with two Bakus and five cards, so he was happy. His grandparents bought him a basket, so we went freestyle. Dearest went to visit them today, instead of Friday or Saturday, due to DFIL's work schedule - but he'll be home Tuesday.

 

While we were at TRU, I checked out dolls, of course. No dolls I wanted, but I liked the SuperStar tote bag - too bad it was $20. However, the new vintage-style print travel mug at $8. was attainable. I really like it. The 'new style' profile on Barbie toys now just doesn't appeal to me anywhere near the way the old one does.

 

I also really liked the huge Barbie PEZ dispenser ! Another $20. goodie, it was a bit harder to put back. I'm not sure why I liked it so much, but in my eyes, it was just awesomeness in cardboard. It has a nearly styling-face large head, #1 vintage style,  complete with white eyes and real blonde hair in poodle-curl bangs and a ponytail. You'd think a dispenser this big - bigger than a regular Barbie - would serve candy about the size of a cake of soap, but no. It includes regular PEZ. Beloved Hubby said that my birthday was coming up, and he'd noted my enthusiasm. (giggle)

 

I have no idea what I'd do with it. It's another big geegaw that I don't really have space for, but I can't stop thinking about it. Well, we'll see.

 

Beloved and I didn't stay out long, since he seems to have whatever malady was exhausting and nauseating me yesterday. We came home and both of us crashed on the sofa. Neither of us could even finish dinner. Whatever bug we caught, I hope it goes away soon.

When I'm too wiped out to sit around... that's not good.

 

Current Mood : Still sleepy, but the headache is lifting...thank Everything. 

 

Today we had a party to attend. One of Beloved Hubby's tattoo clients had us over for Easter, since all her grandkids would also be over for a cookout and egg hunt. We decided to go, since Dearest Son really needed some socialization time - and "L" is a real sweetie.

 

Too bad I felt like crap. I have no idea what's wrong with me. I'm wiped out and nauseous, I can't concentrate on anything, and I have zero appetite. I kinda felt it coming on Thursday, but felt OK Friday... but two hours before we were due to leave, I went for a lie-down. My head was spinning even faster than usual.

 

When I woke up, I felt better, but it's only because Dearest was excited about the party that I even went. Much as I wanted to go, I still felt crappy. But heck, surely I could tough it out for a couple hours.

 

Which is about what happened. Dearest ran around with about fifteen kids, yelling and chasing all over L's country home and several acres of woods, while I camped out at a picnic table, chatting with anyone who sat nearby. Dinner was tasty, but I still had little appetite, and I had a spiralling headache coming up. After about five hours, we packed it in, and I fell asleep on the way home. It was worth it, since Dearest chattered nonstop about his new friends, and was so very happy. Beloved enjoyed chatting with L's family, too, and I'd had fun, even if I'd really rather have been snoozing. We've been invited back for their big July 4th bash, so Dearest is already looking forward to it. Me, too. It'd be great to not be sick the next time !

 

Once home, Beloved put me back to bed, and I slept for six more hours. I'm already yawning, so I'll be back in there in a few minutes. I'm a little more alert now, but I still have a headache.

 

Avoid the next sentence if you're squeamish. @We found four ticks crawling on me, so now every time my skin twitches, I just know it's another one. Dearest got thoroughly checked before and after his bath, and Beloved and I checked each other before I crashed. I hate ticks.@

Can't help m'self...

 

Current Mood : Luxuriant with my splurge

Spent on Embroidery designs : $10.50

 

Yes, I'm a bad girl. But I still don't think ten bucks every three or four months is that bad. Never mind that I've barely set foot in the Lab since I set up the Fashion Mall, and haven't crafted anything in an age - I wanted those designs, and got 'em !

 

It was the dress form designs' fault. I could have put off the rest, but I fell in love with those. Especially the wire one with the roses trailing off it. I swear, the next purse I make is gonna be a denim roll-bag - with about ten dress forms embroidered all over it, so I can justify having all of these !

 

I also bought seven other sets, ranging from sexy girl line art (often called redwork) to free-standing lace that works beautifully as crowns for dolls. I'm looking forward to making a couple of these ! I also snagged another redwork 'music' set, mostly for the antique radio and Victrola record player pieces, and some tiny miniatures that'll look good as either earrings for me or on a t-shirt for a doll. I also got a new set of bookmarks and some ocean-themed shell ornaments that are just gorgeous. Most of these I'd had on the site's wishlist for months, so I was lucky to have cash when she had a sale. Seven sets for eight bucks is a great deal !

 

Unfortunately, I didn't get the 'Star Chef' design. It's from another site, so I'll have to snag it later. I just already feel bad about grabbing all the others ! Greedy me...

 

Pennies from everywhere... add up to a wonderful bank deposit just when it's needed !

 

Current Mood : Gently amused.

 

Dearest Son and I had a great time grocery shopping. And, as is standard for me when I've not bought anything in a while, I didn't find a single thing to want. I was hoping to see the new Fashionistas at Mal-Wart, but they just got in a bunch of the '09 series instead. Which was kinda funny, since that spot's been nearly vacant for weeks. I remain glad I didn't buy the 'ballerina' themed set of Barbie clothes, because no matter how they strive for an edgy fashion vibe, the outfits still look like stuff kids would wear. The pastels just don't help, seriously.

 

We had so much fun, I overspent. Used all the cash I had, and got Checking down to.... (drumroll please) four cents by the time the dust settled. I was soooo lucky I didn't overdraw it. Once the cold groceries'd been put away, I grabbed the penny jar, an old canister I Dumpster Dived nearly a decade ago, and we headed out again. For some reason, this place has pennies everywhere - I can barely sweep without finding a few - so I've been dumping them in the canister for a while. I could barely lift the thing, so I figured there may actually be ten bucks in there, but heck, if it was fifty cents, I'd be happy just to get checking a bit closer to black !

 

So I was literally floored when the bank told me there was $37.46 in there ! Wow. That's been the highlight of the day, so... sorry it's short, but I'm sure you don't wanna hear me rant for three pages about the 'Athena' Barbie ($149., don'cha know) not having legs. There's also rumors she doesn't have an arm under the shield, either. (sigh) And Mattel's wondering why sales are so crappy...

 

For my own 'little chef' - but I like it, too.

 

Current Mood : Riding a wave of relief !

Current Image Notes : I really want this design from Planet Embroidery next ! So cute !

 

For some reason, the latest TLC Hoarders : Buried Alive didn't record earlier this week, so I made sure to get it today. Maybe this evening, when things are quiet and still, I'll watch it.

 

While it's a pretty ordinary day, it's also exceptional. We're gonna make rent, and thanks to the 'horse rent', I get to go grocery shopping tomorrow. I can't wait ! It's been three weeks since the last trip, and while I'm glad we ate things down, I'm really gonna enjoy restocking. Cashed the horse-check today, and got milk and eggs already. Amazing how simple things bring joy when you haven't been able to take them for granted.

 

Beloved Hubby finally had time to look through our paint stockpiles and didn't see anything he wanted. He has lots of browns, but that room is already dark - brown would make it like a cave or a grave ! He's completely out of lighter colors. So this weekend, if he has time to paint, we'll buy what he wants, instead of having him settle. And BIL can use some of these browns in his new bedroom, that's his favorite color. Beloved has one reddish-brown that's very elegant, BIL will probably love it.

 

I got lazy today, and didn't do much. Didn't get much sleep last night, but I got a lot of laundry done and put away. Plenty more where that came from ! After the grocery run, I hope to get some dishes done, and maybe restart laundry Friday.

 

I've about got my desk settled in its new spot - the bag of papers and desk junk got sorted and stored, with a lot of the junk going elsewhere. Since I actually got to go out and come back, it amazes me how good the house looks from the doorway, without that clutter-magnet table overflowing with papers and unidentifiable miscellany. DFIL picked up the table already, I just hope it's not such a magnet at their house.

 

Dearest Son has been learning to cook, with simple things like ramen and cheese toast. He's announced he wants to be a chef, and will cook eggs for everyone tomorrow. Since it's still gonna be a thin weekend - rent week is always lean ! - I'm hoping to sew him a chef's hat and apron, embroidered. I've had kids' patterns for that for forever. Here's hoping I can find them again, since my Patterns file hasn't been reinstalled yet.

 

It's awful that I used to back up the Patterns every time I scanned or grabbed a new one, but from what I can find, I haven't burned a backup CD since September 2008. Now, for the embroidery designs, I've discs for every month, sometimes two ! Since a 'new' computer is a good reason to go through all the back-up discs, I did that tonight, and pulled all the 2004 to 2007 ones. Those will probably get stored off-site, possibly at Beloved's parents' house, and I'll keep the more recent ones. After I figure out which ones have patterns and photos on 'em ! Sometimes I tucked a random file or two in when I was burning backups, to fill the disc. I've found the doll pattern ones already, and spent quite a few hours transferring from them back to the 'new' hard drive.

 

But really, the reason I haven't burned any new discs is because I haven't needed to. It's actually been that long since I got new doll patterns. I've been hoarding PDF files of crafts like milk crate covers and storage boxes instead. Now those are gonna be real fun to find all over again. Still, I'm glad to have what I do - I'd probably have a full-tilt breakdown if all my doll patterns vanished completely.