quilting and oil changes

I'm sitting at the speedee oil change place for the third time this week. I only have one more car so at least I'm almost done hanging out here. I'm getting to know these guys well. What else am I supposed to do with my time off? What do people who work full time year round do when they have chores to do?

I guess they make time to do the necessary things to make sure things run smoothly. 

We also had an air conditioner repair guy come out because we have a two story house and the upstairs and downstairs wouldn't work at the same time. Turns out the air conditioner is working fine. It is the ducts that need replacing. Or so says the fix it guy. $5200 to fix it and we will be getting a second opinion. Or just tuning one story at a time and praying for cooler weather. 

We have mice and rats that get into the attic since we live so close to a big field and they may have chewed some holes in the ducts   

The joys of home ownership

 

 

 

she's off

New adventures await!

It was hard to watch her drive away.  I know she's only moving to Southern California, but she's not coming home again to live.  She is starting a brand new chapter in her life and I'm not at the center of that chapter.  She's all grown up.  She doesn't need me like she used to.  My help isn't necessary any more.  Things are the way they are supposed to be, and I know I did a good job raising her to be strong and independent and capable, but somehow feeling less needed still hurts a little.

She left this morning around 8:30 and will rent a uhaul tomorrow to get the final stuff into her apartment tomorrow

I was all set to make the trip with her and help her do all of this, but she made it pretty clear that she was ready to do this on her own.  She would tolerate my help, but it really wasn't necessary.  Sometimes you just have to swallow your pride and let them do things on their own and be ready to help if asked but not overstep.  I signed the loan papers for the car, called the insurance company and got all of that set up but need to start letting go of some things.

It's only a 6 1/2 hour drive or 1 1/2 hour plane ride.






Plus, I have these guys to cheer me up.  There is always at least one of them under foot causing trouble or making a mess.  Looks like I have some cleaning to do to keep me busy today while she drives home.

Enough of this pity party.  There are quilts to be made and work to get done.  There's always dishes and laundry and weeds to pull.

thrifting

Yesterday was my daughter's last day at 'home' before she started her new adventure of being an adult.  Today she moved out to Southern California.  Of course we had to spend our last few hours together doing the thing we both love the most and that was thrift store shopping.  We managed to hit three stores before we both ran out of steam.

I'm not sure if it is the thrill of the hunt or the 'saving money' that is so much fun but I have a hard time buying things at actual cost when I know I can get a t shirt for $1.99.  She can find brand new dresses for $5 with a tag still on it that says $80.  Who can pass up a deal like that?  Even if you don't need another t shirt or dress, it's a bargain and everybody loves a bargain!  Especially if they have a 50% off day.

Just look at this treadle machine for $199.  If only I had a place to put it.

She got a great purse for work and had plans to put her lunch and a good book in it.  She got a few dressy shirts.  She will be working for a bank as a program manager, which means she will be making sure everyone does their job and gets things done on time.  She has to dress up (business casual) so t shirts and jeans or sweats aren't allowed.  We looked at a lot of shoes as well.  That's why I don't wear dresses.  I have to be on my feet a lot and the shoes just kill me.  I used to wear nice clothes and tennis shoes, but when I started teaching high school and they said I could wear jeans every day I figured comfort was more important than dressing to impress.  I added about 10 shirts to my growing collection.  I plan to organize them over the next couple of weeks so I have a better idea of how many I have and am better able to find the one I want when I want it.

She also found a shelf for in the bathroom-regular price $30 marked down to $10.  It was a Target return, brand new, but open box so hopefully all the pieces are there.  We looked and it seemed like everything was there, but she won't know until she starts to put it together.  That's another exciting thing about thrifting.  You never know if you will get a deal or a steal.

My daughter loves elephants and found this cute oversized shirt which is lightweight and comfy.  She actually wore it today on the trip home.  It suits her personality.  She has quite the elephant collection.

It isn't as much fun thrifting alone.  My older daughter will be home in a couple of weeks for a few days so I will get another 'fix' in then.  I can't wait!

the things we do for our kids

We are having a heat wave here in Northern California. If you watch the news you would think this is the first time temperatures have reached 100 ever. They give tips on staying cool and how important it is for the elderly to stay out of the heat especially in the afternoon. 

Well sometimes when you have a mission all intelligent thought goes out the window. My daughter needs a car because she is all grown up now. She graduated from college and is starting a real job in a couple of weeks. 

So we went car shopping yesterday. It was hot!

She picked a practical Toyota Corolla and we got out of there for $15,000. 

She was really pleased with her pick and even though it took about 3 hours for the whole process it was an enjoyable afternoon spent with my daughter because I know it will be one of the last ones we get for a long time. 

 

 

 

 

heading home

My daughter is graduated and partly moved into her apartment and we are headed back to Northern California to lol for a car for her. We will do some thrift shopping to find some things she needs like a set of dishes and a couple lamps. Towards the end of the week she and I will make the trip back down again to rent a uhaul to move the bigger pieces of furniture and do some grocery shopping. 

Her apartment complex is older. You can tell because of the mature landscaping but has recently been completely renovated. She and her boyfriend have a one bedroom 710 foot place and it looks huge now. I remember when my husband and I got our first place that was 800 square feet and how we thought it was humongous. That empty feeling lasted about 2 months and then I had every nook and cranny filled. My daughter isn't a hoarder like I am so she should fit better for longer. 

 

 

graduation time

My daughter graduated from UCLA today. She has a degree in mah and economics and has a job working for a bank in program management don't ask me what exactly that means because I always explain it wrong. She helps the different departments work together and manage their projects or something like that. She will be staying in Southern California for at least the next two years. 

At least she didn't get a job all the way across the country like my oldest daughter. 

 
 

 
 

getting hot

It really is summer around here with temperatures reaching almost 100 today. I managed to talk myself into getting a walk in early and it was already getting hot by 8:30 when I got back. That will make for a nice afternoon of indoor quilting time. I won't feel guilty staying inside this afternoon and keeping my cool. 

I have lots of quilts to put bindings on as well. I think I brined ou my binding buddies. All of them are off camping or on vacation somewhere. Summers for me mean lots of time to quilt. Most people have less time in the summer to spend indoors making quilts. 

I've been storing the finished quilts in my car and most of the time I don't bother locking it. This morning I went out to water and saw that the car door was open. Not just unlocked but actually open. Someone had dug through things in the car. Not sure what they were looking for. I didn't see anything missing. Thankfully the quilts were still there and even though they had dug through the glove box I could find anything missing from there either. They didn't even steal my brand new box of tissue. 

I really should lock things. 

 

I'm back

I've missed quilting more than I realized. 

This one is going to a local teen who has aged out of the foster system through a group called Heart 2 Heart. 

This one went to our school library assistant who has cancer. 

School got out two weeks ago tomorrow and I was sick for the first week. I'm finally feeling well again and now my summer can begin. My machine is still broken but I sent the power supply for the robotic part in yesterday so hopefully that will be. Ack in a couple of weeks and I will really be back up working again.