Happy Autumn!

The downside of this season, full bore allergy attacks! Despite the chemical & natural counter attacks, my head is soup, my dose (That's how Nose sounds when you're under attack!) is dripping like a leaky faucet.

Upside- gorgeous weather here. The windows flung wide, temperature just perfect. So far, I still haven't been assigned a job by the temp agency. I continue my quest to clean and de-clutter the house. For my efforts... the house is looking cleaner. I have a few items in the box for the Taylor reunion auction coming this weekend. You'd think I could easily come up with more, wouldn't you?

I had intended to work on the hood for Sam and Dan's guitar case this afternoon, but I am so miserable I don't feel like doing anything. I also had a brainiac idea to use my microfiber damp-mop (It has removable/ washable pads) to make a dust mop pad from micro-fleece. Easier to dust mop than to sweep, with the doggy fur all over the floor every day.

I have plans for an apple pie for supper. Oh, I meant dessert... the supper will be fajitas. (Neither one low carb... oops.)
But for now... I need to see if I can figure out how to stop sneezing!
Have a blessed day!

New Job, Day 4

Day four has gone pretty much like days 2 & 3... and only differing from Day 1 in that, on Day 1 I spoke to an actual human when I called in to confirm my availability. Since then, I have spoken to a recording... and not been on an actual paying job at all. If this keeps up much longer, I will be back to looking for work.
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The pattern for Sam's hood just hasn't fit correctly. We went back to WalMart and purchased six more yards of $1 a yard fabric to experiment on. I now have quite a stack of hoods to fit narrow shouldered people. I will try again- only altering the measurements and reshaping the back of the hood. We still aren't ready to cut into expensive fabric!
My sewing scissor disappeared. Sam had grown frustrated at trying to cut even the light muslin with the dull, dull, dull scissors I otherwise have around. He even purchased a pair of intermediate 'school' scissors.. which were better than the dull pair! While buying the practice fabric, he also purchased a pair of actual razor sharp Fisker sewing scissors. Once home and using them for the first time- Sam tells me he can now understand WHY I have always stressed that my sewing scissor was for FABRIC and nothing else! What a difference in effort sharp scissors make.


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We are having cool, rainy weather at the moment, after a hot and humid day for most of yesterday. Today IS supposed to get up into the mid 80's- and with the rain this morning, this will give us a sauna this afternoon. I've got on long sleeves now- I may be in a tank top this afternoon! The weather has been fluctuating between the low sixties and upper eighties during the day, and from 43* to 64* at night the past week or so.
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TAYLOR REUNION is coming up... the 27th in Broken Bow, Same place as last year! I hope everyone is planning to come.
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Welcome to Bailey Ranae Beard! Born to my nephew Tony and his wife Cami last evening, Bailey was born at 7:44 pm September 17th, weighing 6.8 lbs., and is 20 inches tall. Bailey and Cami are doing well. (Tony is the son of my brother Robbie.)
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Guess I best get on with my cleaning and reorganizing of the house- my self appointed task for the days I'm "not working."
Thanks for reading, have a blessed day!

Sewing...

This morning, I went with Sam to Hancock Fabrics so he could get some fabric to make a winter hood. He had found a pattern online, which we had to reproduce with measurements to fit him. As we produced our pattern, he was asking me questions about how I learned to sew.

I remembered my first solo sewing attempt. I was seven or eight years old. Mom had bought some calico printed material to make me a jumper, or perhaps some shorts. I don't remember the purpose for which she intended the fabric. Like many of us, Mom got the fabric home, and it sat for awhile. She was busy... you know- four kids, husband, toddlers, laundry, feeding people and cleaning up after them...the usual stuff that sidetracks people from doing their sewing projects.
I grew impatient, as Mom had promised she would teach me to make some doll clothes. One day, I took Mom's fabric stash back to my bedroom, and laid a piece out. I traced carefully around my doll's waist and legs... and cut out a pair of doll pants. Belatedly realizing I needed a front and a back for pants, I traced the doll outline a second time. I hacked the outlines from the fabric. 
Mom was busy, but she absently knotted the thread on the hand needle for me when I asked... never questioning why.
I sewed up the little pants... not putting right sides together so my stitches showed, or the print was INSIDE the pants.

I didn't think to try them on the doll, but went back to hacking the fabric into raggedy pant shaped bits. Mom even tied another knot in the thread for me, as I recall. (Still too distracted to ask what I was doing with this threaded needle!)

I eventually got the pants sewn together. Of course, they were about 1/3 the size I needed them to be to fit my doll. So I tried again to cut them out larger- still following your basic doll sprawled outline.

I don't know how long I persisted before I finally asked Mom what I was doing wrong.
I'm not sure if she laughed... or cried. I had butchered several yards of fabric- what wasn't cut entirely to bits was mangled enough she would never be able to make a human sized garment from it. She did sit right down and show me where my pattern had gone wrong, and draw me up a pattern for a real pair of pants, in doll sizing. Mom showed me how to fit the pieces together, and let me sew them right up. She showed me how to make the casing for the elastic waist, and how to hem. And... I got to keep all the butchered fabric to practice on, but was warned to NEVER EVER get into the sewing stuff without permission.
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Sam and I are about to try the pattern we made out on a cheap bit of muslin before cutting into his expensive wool fabric. I also picked up an application to Hancocks while I was there.
Thanks for reading!
And Thanks for teaching me to sew, Mom!

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Busy anyway

I neglected to take into consideration that Monday was my 'regular' day off. Also Tom's day off. We had plenty to do. While I superficially browsed some job listings, I didn't put in any applications.
 Tuesday, I got up and got online, even before a breakfast. I put in an application for Staffmark, which is an agency people call when they need someone to fill in for a few days or weeks. I would like a job that is flexible enough to be able to take off work when Paula has Peaches, and at Thanksgiving. To be able to take vacations with Tom, when he wants to go to Ohio and see his family. Most jobs aren't offering that sort of flexibility. I also need a job where I am not straining my body... it's got to last another 50 years!

Once I got that application done, I started where I left off yesterday in the kitchen. I am re-organizing my cabinets, giving everything I use a HOME... as opposed to my usual "stick it there for now" method. My bowl/ plastic ware cabinet looks great! All bowls that have lids have them matched with them. My cups are all neat, and every stinking water bottle/ thermos/ sippy cup that HAS a matching lid is together WITH its lid, neatly STANDING upright. About 10,000,000 lids with no container to fit have been pitched, with the exception of a very few Tupperware lids.

Today I worked on the food storage upper cabinet. The cabinet is made from really cheap fiberboard for the shelves, with very little support beneath them. In the 10 years we have lived here, they have really begun to sag. While the cupboard was empty, Daniel went to town and got some angle iron with pre-drilled holes. He gave the shelves a nice bit or reinforcement/ support.

After wiping off the shelves, I categorized the items going back in, and repackaged much of it. There was a literal pile of various baggies of dried items Dan has been preparing for use on his AT hike. Some of this I sealed up into vacuum bags. Some I put into glass jars. I have two lower cupboards of pans and the spice cabinet to go, as well as the small units over the refrigerator and stove. I suppose I should also see to the underneath of the sink as well. From there, it will be on to the laundry room.

However, I will start each day with at least one job application! These are tedious to do- but at least most are online and I am not wasting gas driving hither and yon.

My last day at work was also my co-worker John's last day. He retired- and he well deserves a great retirement!  John brought me breakfast, coffee and a sausage biscuit! I got as much of the work that was piling up done as I could, then called a day.
Sam made it safely to San Angelo, and that was the last we heard from him until today! He is having a good time- but most nearly visited out, I think.

Sunday, Tom and Daniel picked two+ more bushels of apples. With their help, I made 7 more pints of applesauce and 14 more half pints of apple butter. Then, almost all the rest went into more apple cider. By Monday, the beautiful plums were calling out to us... but Tom and I ignored their cries and didn't stop to pick more. (If I pick more, I have to buy more jars. But I really want to pick more.. since a friend told me of an upcoming craft sale where I could get a booth.) I need to decide in the next day or two, while there are still plums to be had.

(Who has time for a job?)
Please pray I will find the best way to earn income!

Officially Unemployed

I am home from my last day at O'Reilly's.
 I am proud of me... I didn't shirk, I worked hard all week... even my last day. Yes, there were things left undone. Things are continually flowing and piling at most jobs... I did as much as I could, which was more than many would. This is the season of change throughout the company, as summer gives way to fall. Displays change, new products come out. The hunting accessories start to arrive, the AC items give way to the cold weather gear.
I did love most aspects of my job. However, it was becoming too much for me, physically.
So now the hunt for a job I CAN do begins.

I realize some of my family and friends here do not participate in Facebook.
I need to update you on some happenings the past week or so.
Last Saturday, Daniel and Sam went to Lewis and Clark Outfitters, where Daniel has purchased a great deal of the gear to use on his Appalachian trail adventure. The boys has heard that there was to be a big 'gear swap' for anyone interested in purchasing used equipment or had any to sell. They had not double checked... the gear swap is in October! But since they were there, they took time to talk to the very friendly folks who work there, and look at bicycles. Sam has been talking about getting a bicycle for MONTHS. And there was a bike sale going on.
Sam put a bike on layaway, not having had cash on him to outright buy one.
The boys had no sooner arrived home than the phone rang. It was the OWNER of Lewis and Clark Outfitters! He happened to have been one of the people who had chatted with Daniel and Sam at the store. He asked Daniel if they could get together and talk about Lewis and Clark Outfitters sponsoring a portion of Daniel's Appalachian Trail hike- something like supplying his footwear?
The details have yet to be ironed out, but I thought this was pretty amazing! Daniel hadn't mentioned a sponsorship, the thought never occurred to any of us!
Tuesday, Sam was champing at the bit to go to the bank and get money to redeem his bike from its layaway. As there was no freight Tuesday, due to the Labor Day holiday, I was off. So we went to Lewis and Clark and Sam bought his bike. The bike bug had bitten Daniel over the weekend... so Daniel also purchased a new bike. Folks, these are not your $80 WalMart bikes... these are NICE bicycles, which were expensive, even on sale. No where near top of the line, but lower end scale QUALITY bikes.
While Dan worked for our neighbor Tuesday afternoon, Sam explored routes to work that didn't involve riding their bikes on the highway.
Wednesday morning, Daniel rode the 8 miles to work... well, 8 miles is incorrect. 8 miles as the car drives is closer to 12 miles as the back roads meander! It was gloaming dark at the time Dan left for work. I fretted. (Moms do that!) When I got home, I said I would of felt better if Dan had let me know he arrived safely at work. Sam popped off the remark that I would of heard if he HADN'T made it safely!
Thursday morning, as Sam is preparing to ride to work, I state that it is getting light LATER every day. Sam tells me that he and Daniel have already taken this into consideration.
At work, the phone starts ringing by a few minutes past 7:00 am. This is NOT unusual. I always check to see which line is ringing. Most family calls come in on line 3. Line 1, the general public line, was ringing. The Mind Link said answer. I argued with myself... I didn't answer. Mind Link says "Call home!" I argued... "so they can laugh at me for being concerned over nothing?" I didn't answer the phone.
The phone rang pretty much incessantly until the store opened at 7:30. First call, acting manager calls out to me, "Tammy, LINE ONE!"
Sam was on the phone. "I am relatively OK. Doesn't anyone answer the phones up there?... and, how does one bandage a deepish irregular wound?"
I said I would come home and evaluate. Sam was saying he didn't think it was necessary.
I insisted. I know my boys understated concern!
I got home to a blood drenched Sam laying on the couch, with paper towels pressed to his elbow. He removed the paper towel to reveal a dime sized hole in his arm. Hole is the best term I can come up  with... he was literally missing a chunk of flesh. He has called paramedic in training Ben, who had told him that such wounds usually cannot be stitched, and to clean it and fill with antibiotic ointment.
I said, "Get in the car. This needs to be evaluated by a doctor. You NEED stitches."
Sam attempted to argue. I told him Ben may well be right, but you are still going to see what a doctor has to say.
We drove to the local doctors office. They were full up and overbooked, but once Sam showed his wound, he was a priority walk in. He had at least five internal stitches (Doc lost count) and four external stitches. A gap was left so fluids could drain. A scar was guaranteed. Sam was put off work for at least 10 days. Not only can he not stretch the stitches, but he has deep oozing abrasions surrounding it, as well as deep abrasions in his palms. One CANNOT wash dishes with open wounds.  And he must keep them dry to heal.
By Friday afternoon, Sam was already stir crazy. His bruised and swollen knee had him sleeping on the couch, rather than in this Captain's bed upper bunk. He is faithfully setting his alarm to take his antibiotics. Paula suggested that, since he couldn't work anyway, he come visit her and Ben. Sam took her up on it. He just landed in Snanjlo...

At work today, it occurred to me, Sam could well decide to MOVE to San Angelo. He is a dishwasher. And his binding tie... Daniel... is going away in March. If Sam has an opportunity while on this visit... He may never  come back to the nest.
Ch-ch-ch-changes!

Dan is already considering moving to San Angelo after the AT trip. He is interested in what Ben is doing with the Fire Department.
Empty nesting... sigh.
Around here, the company Mr C works for is AGAIN downsizing, after a name change earlier this year. The CRJ700's he has been working on are going away in favor of some other aircraft. How hard is God going to have to shake this up to get a move on?
Thanks for reading. Prayers are SO appreciated. Job hunt starts Monday.