And now introducing Collin

I'm sitting here at my daughter's dining room table looking out the sliders at clouds rolling in at daybreak. We're in paradise, we spent all day Friday getting here and had a great day yesterday enjoying the kids, the grandkids, and just being here in general. We loaded up Aidan in the car and drove to Wailua to go to the weekly farmer's market there at the site of the Old Sugar Mill. We walked all around picking out veggies and fruit for us to share and went into a couple of the businesses there. I love the Soap Factory and the Sugar Mill store that has great Wailua coffee.
Aidan also got a chance to go to the playground beside his house and play with Grandpa. Notice the matching yellow hats! He enjoyed his time outside and enjoys Grandpa. He's absolutely talking up a storm, when we came over a rise in the road going to Wailua, the whole beach and ocean was visible and he began saying "Beach" and "Ocean" and "Boat". He loves to go to the beach, and we plan on taking him there one of the days that we're visiting.
The Sugar mill had large concrete pools of lilypads that had fish in them. Aidan really enjoyed looking for the fish under the leaves.
He was really concentrating on finding them, they were very small kind of the size of guppies. He was so good as he never stuck his hand into the water or splashed or anything, he just wanted to see the fish, not to disturb them.
Here is the new grandson, Collin. He's 5 weeks old now and is a little guy. Aidan is so adorable with him, when Collin cries, Aidan tells him "it's ok" and tries to pat him and comfort him, and he even showed Collin his new tractor and bus that we brought him from home. They're both beautiful kids, but you might say that I'm not exactly impartial!

Inside a flight attendant's not so glam life (CNN)

Thought I'd share this with my blogging friends...I couldn't get the CNN picture to transfer to my blog so I inserted one of our soon to be parked forever planes.

(CNN) -- As you encounter flights that leave you frustrated, hungry and tired this summer vacation season, chances are the person who greets you with a smile when you come on board could be feeling the same way. A flight attendant's duty can last up to 14.5 hours on domestic routes.

The glamour has long faded from the job of a flight attendant, but the occupation still captures the imagination of a public fascinated by the constant travel and work above the clouds.
Still, many people know little about the realities of a flight attendant's life, changed by the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, the efforts of a troubled airline industry to stay afloat and the recent economic downturn.

"When my mom was a stewardess in the 1950s, they wore white gloves and they learned to serve lobster thermidor table-side," said Rene Foss, a flight attendant for 25 years and the spokeswoman for the Association of Flight Attendants.

"Instead of wearing white gloves, I'm wearing rubber gloves; and instead of learning to serve lobster thermidor, I'm learning to put handcuffs on passengers."

The chance to see the world while offering an important service still lures many men and women to the job, and the flight attendants who spoke with CNN said they enjoy what they do. But they also described work that can be draining and sometimes given little respect. Read how flight attendants deal with screaming babies, difficult passengers

Many flights are now full as airlines park planes to save money, leaving passengers spread over fewer aircraft in the system. At the same time, layoffs, furloughs and other cost-cutting measures mean fewer flight attendants taking care of more people on board. See flight attendants' biggest pet peeves »

Meanwhile, pay cuts are forcing many to work more hours to offset the difference.
"I made more money in 1998 than I make today," said Kim Kaswinkel, a flight attendant for 22 years who holds a legislative committee chair position at the Association of Flight Attendants.

Flying realities
• About 99,000 flight attendants work in the United States
• Their mean annual wage is $39,840 (Note from Vicki: I haven't made anywhere near that much since the bankruptsies of 2003. I think this is old information from long ago but most people I know don't make this much at all!)
• The Atlanta area has the highest concentration of workers in this occupation
• Major airlines are required by law to provide flight attendants for the safety and security of the traveling public
• Flight attendants must be certified by the FAA Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

The days can be long -- up to 14 hours of duty time on domestic routes and even longer on international trips -- and the layovers short, sometimes shorter than the workdays.

Flight attendants say they often battle hunger as airlines eliminate meals for passengers on shorter flights, which also means fewer food options for them. "There are days, specifically domestically, you go 7, 8, 9 hours and have not gotten anything to eat because there's no food on the airplane; and when they're trying to turn these airplanes around quickly, there's no time to run off and get food," Kaswinkel said.
She carries protein bars and apples with her to help fend off hunger.

Flight attendants fly 70 to 100 hours a month, but they're only paid when a plane's engines are running, Foss said. So they receive no compensation for one of the hardest parts of their job: the boarding process.

It's now more aggravating than ever as passengers bring more carry-on bags to avoid paying fees for checked luggage, sometimes resulting in confrontations and delays when there is no space to accommodate them. Kaswinkel called the carry-on situation "out of control."

Don't Miss
How flight attendants deal with life on board

Frustrated passengers often take it out on the crew and sometimes each other. As she tries to enforce rules and resolve conflicts, Foss said she sometimes feels like a police officer, a baby sitter and a referee.

Flight attendants say they try to create a friendly atmosphere, but sometimes get little response. "A lot of passengers complain that flight attendants don't smile, but I can't tell you how many times I've stood at the boarding door with a smile on my face greeting people and they will just ignore me," said Heather Poole, a flight attendant for 14 years who writes for the travel Web site Gadling.com.

'Cart toe'
Seniority determines many aspects of a flight attendant's life, including what routes they fly and whether they work in economy, business or first class. Surprisingly, some flight attendants consider economy easier even though they serve many more passengers. Coach usually requires only a drink service, while flight attendants in the other cabins work almost nonstop serving meals and drinks.

Shoes wear out quickly at this pace. Poole, who mostly works in business class, says she buys a new pair every three months. A particular problem is "cart toe," leather that wears out on the nose of the shoe where she pushes the brakes on the carts that hold drinks and meals.

There are many tales of strange passengers. Foss recalled waiting on the tarmac to take off from Tokyo, Japan, when a woman suddenly took off all her clothes and began running up and down the aisles. The plane had to return to the gate, where police were waiting to remove her.
Kaswinkel is amazed that people still try to smoke on planes and recalled a recent incident in which a passenger offered her $5 to not write her a warning after she caught her sneaking a cigarette in the lavatory.

Poole still remembers the passenger who removed a fire extinguisher from the plane to take as a souvenir.

With all the travel they do, you might wonder how flight attendants choose to spend their vacations. Some continue to fly even in their free time, while others cherish "staycations" or find ways to globe-trot without getting on a plane. Poole was a frequent traveler until she got married and had a child. Now that her son is 3, she's ready to start jetting off with him on vacation.

Foss considers it a joy to sleep in the same bed for a few nights, but also likes train travel.
Kaswinkel's ideal vacation after being away from home for 16 to 18 days a month is also staying put. But that's not fun for her family, so she does travel occasionally during her time off.
"We enjoy cruising the most because I can relax and do nothing by the pool with a frozen drink, while they go tour the destination ports of call. It's a great compromise," Kaswinkel said.

The new guy

Some of my friends and family are not on facebook and don't get to see the pictures I post there so I'm repeating the posting of these pictures for my blog readers. I do apologize if you've seen them before. This is Collin after he came home from the hospital. His mom says that he doesn't like to be swaddled too much and likes to have his arms out, unlike his big brother who would wake up and cry if he wasn't swaddled tightly enough or if he managed to get his arm out of the blankets in the first few weeks.

Aidan was patting Collin and trying to calm him when he was waking up and getting ready to cry to be fed. These pictures were taken in the hospital when Collin was only hours old...he was born about 2am on the 10th of July.

Aidan is looking up at his dad who is taking the pictures. He looks like he's really trying hard to figure out this little one that is moving all around and making funny noises.

Hello, little brother! Nice to meet you!

Here's a nice one of Jenn holding both of the boys. Aidan is a snuggler but there is still plenty of room on mom's lap (and dad's) for both of the babies.

Taking a day off to go to Union Mills

I took a day off from painting and cleaning in the bedroom yesterday to relax, recover, and then in the afternoon, join our Reenactment unit at our annual reenactment at the Union Mills Homestead. This is a picture of the restored grist mill at Union Mills which was built by two Shriver brothers in the 1700's. This is a park now that offers tours and does events such as our Civil War weekend, corn roast, pancake breakfasts, microbrew festival, and flower market, to name a few, and there are two Shrivers of the family living across the street in two private Victorian homes that are quite beautiful as well. Shriver is a family with deep roots in the Maryland countryside, and one of the descendants of this branch of the family (another branch is that of the Shriver house museum in Gettysburg) is in our Group.

The home has also been restored and is part of the tours are offered by the group that runs the property. They have a gift shop that sells the stone ground flours and cornmeals that are made right in the grist mill. I buy all my cornmeal here and it really makes a difference in the taste of the cornbread, it's so different than commercially produced meals and flours. Union Mills is on the way from my house to Gettysburg so it's convenient to stop for supplies on the way to my volunteer job.

This is another shot of the Shriver home. Much of the original grounds are still part of the park and we thoroughly enjoy camping and doing our event here. Both Confederate and Federal forces camped on this property on the way to the battle of Gettysburg in 1863.

I'm wasn't able to dress in my corset for the event because the incisions on my abdomen are still healing, so I drove up in modern clothing with projects to work on in hand. I sat with some of our unit members and chatted while I worked on putting the binding on the quilts I'd made for the grandbabies. There were several new units participating in the event this year and it was nice to see new faces among the familiar ones. I always enjoy the opportunity to socialize with people I don't get to see nearly enough. The weather was cool for this time of year and quite comfortable, getting even a little bit chilly by the time we had a pot-luck dinner together. By dinner time, I was exhausted and sore and ready to go home. Unfortunately I didn't sleep well because I'm still learning what to eat and not to eat without a Gall Bladder. lol

These are the two baby quilts that I got finished between Union Mills and some time spent at home last night while watching TV. I finished the last one this morning early when I couldn't sleep and went ahead and got up. I had pieced these last year when I found out that my daughter was pregnant again and then they sat for many months before I machine quilted them last week. I did traditional blocks (this one is called Churn Dash or Monkey Wrench) with Hawai'ian fabrics since the boys were both born in Hawai'i. The backings are the same fabric as the sashing that's touching the blocks so they're easy to tell apart. I'd made nightgowns from the backing fabrics so it looks strange to me to see those same fabrics on the back of the quilts!

The two quilts have wool batts inside them that I had made from some Romney fleeces that I'd bought at one of the Sheep and Wool festivals. There's nothing like natural fiber wool batts with natural cotton fiber fabrics, they really breathe and are so comfortable. They're soft and snuggly and definitely just waiting for the boys to use, and the wool batts aren't too warm for them to use in Hawai'i. We use the wool batt quilt I made for our bed most of the year, only changing it out in the hottest part of the summer. I am guessing the Aidan will decide which one he likes best and the other one will be for Collin when he's just a little bit older and is more able to snuggle up in it.

We can helps you, Mom?

I am very happy to report that I'm beginning to come out of the tired and feeling sore phase of my post surgery time. I know I still have some recovering time to go but my Doctor said that I'm right on track so I'm happy about that. My dear husband has been great in helping with things around the house while I've been on the mend. The cats have been helping out whenever they can, too.
Our reenacting group sent some beautiful flowers for me last week when I'd just gotten out of the hospital. I've really enjoyed them, and as you can see, they were a real hit with the youngest girls. Rosie especially thought they looked very delicious and she started to try nibbling on the small purple flowers. Of course, I stopped her as I wasn't sure if they were entirely healthy for her.
Pretty soon Belle found out what Rosie was looking at and came for a sniff of her own. She loved smelling all the flowers and spent quite a bit of time with each flower, as if she was deciding what each one was as she studiously sniffed it. The girls were so adorable with them. Of course, I had to move them to the top of my TV cabinet so that the cats wouldn't decide to eat them, but that was ok, I could still see and enjoy them.
After getting the OK from the Doctor, we started to slowly and carefully paint the bedroom and after 2 days only have about 1/3 finished. We already had the paint and it certainly needed to be done and now was a good time since we're both home right now. We've lived here over 10 years and the room is still the very drab off white builder's sprayed on paint, the new very light blue walls with white trim is certainly brightening up the entire room! We began the work of prepping and putting out the tarps, and Belle decided that she'd like to help too. Actually all three were around quite a bit of the time while we were painting but they kept out of the way which was very appreciated. Belle got a little bit of paint on her tail during walking around and exploring and Gracie managed to get her whiskers and some of each side of her fur in the wet paint. I trimmed her fur but her whiskers will have to wear off. The girls were very well behaved while they watched and tried to find ways to help. Of course, all the furniture got moved so they were very curious about the whole process.
Rosie decided to take a well deserved nap with our frog shoe cleaner that sits inside the front door. It's been quite warm so the cats have been stretching out on the floors a lot like this. Rose was probably tired from trying to help do the painting, and from looking at herself in the mirror from my vanity area while it was down on the floor.
All of our children living at home have paws. :)

Welcome Collin, and my view from the sofa

Before I tell you why I've been absent from blogging lately I wanted to introduce our newest Grandson, Collin Joel Lightner who was born yesterday morning at about 8 Eastern Time (2am in Hawaii). Mom and baby are doing fine, and Dad and big brother Aidan are as well. Our daughter Jenn should be discharged with the new baby today. :) Collin, not surprisingly, looks like his big brother did with a head of blonde hair (it's a tiny bit darker) and as a proud grandmother, I'll have to say that I think he's perfect! But then again, Aidan is perfect too...what a wonderful gift at a challenging time.

Besides the good news, I've been kind of hunkering down and not blogging very much. When I don't have good things to report or cool pictures to share, I tend to keep my posts to a minimum. I don't like being negative, but we've had a kind of challenging couple of weeks here. On Monday the 29th, my husband's division at work was pretty much all let go. The sudden job loss drove us into shock, then sadness, then the realization that we had to completely cut costs in every way and save every cent that we could because in this economy there is no telling how long we'll need to survive and we were not in any way prepared. I picked up as many trips for July as I possibly could because we need to make expenses and also make sure there is money going to savings to last us through until we're on our feet again. Unfortunately I had to call and cancell all my sewing classes, and any other unnecessary expenditures, as well as trips (I'd planned to go be with my daughter when the baby was due), and we also sat down and made up a realistic budget that didn't have any room for anything but necessities, and won't for some time to come.

The previous weekend our reenacting unit had our annual fund raising weekend encampment at the Civil War Wax Museum in Gettysburg. We went Friday evening and helped put up our tents and had some good conversations with our friends...but as I sit I began to start having some symptoms of what I thought was IBS. It was horrible but we made it home, and the symptoms got bearable by about 3am. Needless to say I didn't go to the weekend encampment, I was still feeling horrible. Then Monday the job news hit while I was off not feeling well. I was able to work my trips on the following Thursday and Friday and looked forward to the weekend.

On the 4th of July we had dinner with some dear friends and I got to feeling badly again, but this time after we got home I couldn't get on top of the pain. I was up all night, never being able to find a comfortable position to lie or stand or anything. About 5:30AM I woke Mark up to take me to the ER. Long story short, they did some tests, and quickly admitted me and removed my very nasty, infected and full of stones Gall Bladder. I was in the hospital a couple of days, and I'm very lucky that it hadn't ruptured. I'm home now, recovering, taking it very easy and trying to rest. Some days are better than others, and it's challenging to try to learn to eat without it, all trial and error. Needless to say, I haven't been able to fly all of the trips I picked up for July, timing certainly wasn't in our favor. I'll try to go back to flying as soon as I can, but it's going to be at least a couple-few weeks. I don't have any sick time to speak of saved up so it's all without pay. But somehow we'll be ok. We have to.

So that's why I haven't been around much...it's not very comfortable for me to be negative or to complain, so now that you know...it's on to bigger and better things!

Wish my dad was able to participate in this

(My dad is the second from the Right, tail gunner on the B17G)

United Salutes WWII Vets Traveling on 'Honor Flight'

Over a two week period, United employees at O'Hare (ORD) and Reagan National (DCA) have had the occasion to salute veterans of World War II traveling on "Honor Flights" to visit the World War II memorial in Washington, D.C.

Honor Flight is a non-profit organization that was formed to provide free flights for World War II vets to the memorial. According to Judy Lemmons, director of public relations for Honor Flight, "Sixty-five years ago the guns fell silent. For the millions who survive, there was no homecoming, they just came home, went back to work and went on with their lives. They never received the thanks they so richly deserved -- until now. The Honor Flight Network is committed to those who survived to get them to see THEIR memorial in our nation's capital. It is to their service and sacrifice it was dedicated. We honor them as we witness their humble, arthritic hands over their hearts as they salute the flag for which they so willingly served so many years ago."

Two recent flights have made connections at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, where the vets were welcomed with police and fire honor guards as well as a standing ovation from customers in the gate area. O'Hare employees from Customer Service, Ramp, Flight Operations and Onboard Service were also on hand to personally recognize and thank all the veterans making the trip to the nation's capital.

Likewise, the veterans were greeted at Washington Reagan by a cheering crowd and United employees. "When we are aware an 'Honor Flight' is inbound, we put together a team to welcome and escort them. These vets served for us and we will do all we can to recognize that service," stated Ed Dolphin, DCA general manager.

Honor Flight Network chapters have several additional trips to the memorial scheduled this year, and we are working with them to continue United's recognition of the veterans making the journey.

For more information on the Honor Flight Network, please visit

www.honorflight.org.

8 Ways to Annoy a Flight Attendant

A dear friend sent me this as an email and i had to pass it along...

1. Bring your pet on the plane and then act like an animal.
Over the years, I've seen a pet on a passenger's lap, a pet tucked into a seatback pocket, and a pet loose in the aisle (I nearly hit one with my beverage cart). All of this is against federal regulations. People tell me how well-behaved their pet is, but they can't follow the rules themselves! Your pet must stay in its carrier while you're on the plane. Yes, even if you've paid a "pet-in-cabin" fee.
2. Shove your bag into the first bin you see and then walk to your seat in the back of the plane.
You think you're clever, I know. You expect to grab your bag on your way out of the plane, but you're selfishly inconveniencing others. I can't lie and say we flight attendants don't take some small satisfaction when we tell you, "We couldn't identify the bag's owner, so we sent it to cargo." It's a security issue, for real. Carry-ons need to stay near their owners! So don't look so shocked when we say, "The signs will direct you to baggage claim. You can pick up your bag there."
3. Think that because you're on an airplane you're off-duty as a parent.
Stop expecting us to have spare diapers, formula, medicine, toys, playing cards, or batteries for DVD players or Game Boys. It's an airplane, not a 7-11. Take your kid to the restroom before you board. Leave the dry cereal and Legos at home and bring snacks and toys for your kids that won't make a horrible mess.
4. Drag on an oversize bag that's too heavy for you to lift by yourself.
I won't be compensated for any injuries I might sustain if I heft your bag into the overhead compartment for you. (And other passengers shouldn't have to step up and take the risk either.) The guideline is simple: You pack it, you stack it. Try this at home as a test (and this is to you ladies, especially): After you've packed your bag, put on the shoes you plan to wear on the plane and see if you can lift your bag and place it on top of your refrigerator. You can't? Pay the fee and check the bag.
5. Gripe that you haven't been seated in a roomy exit-row seat.
The exit rows weren't created as a reward for people who are tall, overweight, or just plain nice. They were designed to help passengers get out of the plane in an emergency. The people seated in an exit row must be able to see and speak clearly, open the emergency door, and help others. I prefer to see uniformed military, firefighters, law-enforcement officers, or off-duty pilots and flight attendants sitting in those seats. While the gate agent may assign exit-row seats first, the flight attendant makes the final determination about who gets to sit in them. And the quality of our choices is one of the frequent concerns of Federal Aviation Administration officials when they audit airlines for safety practices. So please don't complain. I'm just doing my job.
6. Act like you don't know the meaning of the words "under the seat in front of you."
Someday I will be muttering "under the seat in front of you" in the old-age home for flight attendants. What is it that you don't understand? To be clear, items should not be stowed behind your calves, under your feet like a footstool, in the open seat next to you, or in your lap. It's under the seat in front of you. And it applies to everything you carry on board. Items stored carelessly can trip others, or dislodge during takeoff and get lost, or inconvenience others. And while I'm on the topic: Please don't wrap your purse (or umbrella strap) around your ankle to keep from forgetting it. What will happen in an emergency, when every second counts and there's no time to disentangle yourself from your precious bag? Will you drag it ball-and-chain-style down the aisle of a burning plane?
7. Whine about the high price of flying.
When I hear people complain about coach airfares, I know they're not keeping up with the news. Fares have rarely been cheaper. In recent years, it's not uncommon for you to be able to cross the continent for under $130 each way, with a maximum of one layover. It's a bargain! At that price, you're barely paying for the fuel to get your body there—never mind the cost of shipping your 50 pounds of gear. You're already on the gravy plane. People point to first class ticket holders and want to know why they don't get the same treatment. Wake up folks: You're getting a great deal. If you want even more, pay more!

8. The seatbelt sign on during flight....this is actually number one.....Passengers that think that the seatbelt sign doesn't apply to them, they will get up during turbulence with the chance of falling and injuring others as well as the defiance of "Nothing can happen to me attitude" Its a fine-able FAA LAW that all Passengers be in their seats, belts fastened when the seatbelt sign is on ....NO exceptions ( even if you paid allot for your ticket, it doesn't apply to breaking the Law and disrespecting the Flight crew members ...if you can't abide by these simply rules....seek other means other than air travel...because all airlines are Governed by the FAA...PERIOD.

Two more projects finished

I cleaned and organized my sewing room last week and re-found some projects that were in the "started" phase...there were 2 dresses for me, 1 to sell, and a shirt for DH. The most recently started projects were the 2 dresses, and they were cut out over a year ago! Since I needed a dress that was a little bit looser for the next event and knew they'd been cut out off my older and a tiny bit larger fitting shell, I decided to get at least one of them finished. This one had a problem spot on the skirt (I have no idea how that happened, either!), but it turned out nicely afterall. I'll wear it with probably a navy blue belt (since the twill tape at the bottom is navy and there are blue flowers in the fabric) and a straw bonnet trimmed in blue. I also made not just one but 2 sets of collar and cuffs so I just have to sew the second set onto one of my older dresses, and I'm set for our weekend in Gettysburg at the end of the month. I don't have any Red (I know, this is more burgundy) dresses, and this one actually has a lattice work of lines and flowers within the lines...you can see where the flowers are in this picture. So many of my dresses are dark colors and I am really glad I got this one finished to supplement the more somber ones. Now I'm thinking about working on the next one...oh for more hours in each day!
...Last night I finally finished my March of 2009 kit from Socks that Rock. It took knitting many hours, and my hands ache this morning, but I really wanted to get them done. I was waiting for DH to get home, I had the time so I just kept at it. The sock pattern is called "Rogue Roses" by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee www.yarnharlot.com , and the pattern had cables which scared me initially. There is an error I made on the right sock, but I didn't have the heart to rip back 25 rows to the point where it started since they're going to be in shoes anyhow when I wear them. They're not a colorway or yarn I would have chosen, but the color certainly does go well with the Rose pattern, and it allowed me to step out of my color and pattern box. I'm happy and proud that I managed to finish them after putting it off and getting over being intimidated to the point of ignoring them for awhile...well, since late March! Now I'm on to the May kit, and some other unfinished socks that are in my knitting basket.

Rainy days are meant for napping

I spent most of yesterday moving around furniture and rearranging and organizing my sewing room. It was way too crowded in there and I thought over ways to make more floor space so that it wasn't so difficult to walk around and so I could vacuum. This morning I'm a bit sore. It's raining again, a cold and damp day that is good for staying close to home and doing quiet things. I was knitting and Belle climbed on the sofa right next to me and promptly fell asleep on her cat blanket. It looked like a good idea to me, so I laid down next to her for a little while to snooze.

I awoke for the phone to find that the othe two cats had also decided that the sofa was a good place to nap this afternoon! Here's Rosie who loves to lie upside down and all stretched out. She was sleeping right behind me and I didn't even know that she'd come up close by.

Gracie's favorite place to sleep is on the back of the sofa in front of the front window. She and Belle still don't get along well so that way she can see where Belle is and what everyone is doing. If Belle isn't on the sofa, Gracie often will come lie right next to me and snuggle.

This is the first sock of a pair I'm working on from the March Socks that Rock Club entry...It's called Rogue Roses. The second sock of this pair is what I'm presently spending time with.

When I saw this pattern, I simply couldn't resist! This is an Alligator Scarf from Morehouse Merino. They have the most absolutely adorable scarves on their website to knit. I've only gotten to the first repeat of 12 for the body and it's slow going because of the bumps, but I'm loving it, he's so cute! Now that the sewing room is usable again, I might have to spend time finishing some pending sewing projects too. Never a moment lost...

WARNING about Fabric Club online

I'm working in my sewing room today, cleaning and organizing my stash. I unrolled a piece of fleece I bought last year and hadn't taken out of it's bag yet from www.fabricclub.com and it has a gigantic hole cut out of the center of it. Lucky I wasn't making a blanket or something that required all the 5 yards I purchased. Nothing was mentioned in the website listing about that fabric having a flaw. That is only one of the reasons why I will NEVER shop with Fabric Club again.

Let me back up. FabricClub is a bolt end internet store that sells some designer fabrics in small pieces, sometimes they have larger yardage available. I'd been shopping with them for quite some time, and had spent literally hundreds and hundreds of dollars (actually over a thousand easily) on fabrics. I got to know the owner (Rick) through calls and emails. Some fabrics were ok (none were great) and some were damaged or had stitched up cuts in the fabric, I was willing to work around that for the price. But a year ago I had the ultimate bad experience.

I ordered well over $100 worth of fabric from them. I paid via paypal just as I'd done before. I've never been able to use my "club discount" but that's another story entirely. I didn't think much about the order and got busy with other things. It was summer, I belive it was before August but I'm too lazy to look it up. By the end of September I realized that I hadn't gotten my order. By this time it was too late to make a claim via paypal (my fault) as that has to be done within 30 days. I emailed and called Fabricclub and eventually they got a box out to me, the tracking information showed up on my paypal transaction. The receipt in the box showed that this was box 1 of 2 and that over $56.00 of fabric was not in that box.

I waited and waited for the second box. I wrote. I asked for tracking information. Excuses for not having it or having to look for it were given each time. They ship priority mail, so there should be tracking information. My mail lady knows me well so she would have seen the box if it were at the post office. I wrote again. I called. I spoke to Barbara, I'm guessing Rick's wife. She said no problem, a refund would be issued if they couldn't find the fabric or the tracking information. I told her I'd rather have the fabric but that I'd look for a refund. After 2 weeks and now no responses to my emails, I sent them a paypal invoice for the amount on the fabric that was not in the box. Nothing. I sent reminders 2 or 3 times, nothing.

Still to this day I have not gotten a refund nor the fabric from FabricClub. Since they put the tracking information on box #1 into paypal, they effectively said they sent the order, and paypal won't do anything about it even though only half was sent. I write to them periodically and I never receive an answer. If the box was lost it would be able to track, unless it wasn't sent at all. Honestly, to keep my business, wouldn't you think it would be worth the $56 or $57 dollars that they should refund me? I mean I've spent probably over a thousand dollars with them in the past. I'm a business owner too...There have been a very few boxes of mine that the post office lost and I give the tracking information to the customers and have refunded the people if the package was lost.

This hole in the fabric just makes me fume on top of losing the money.

So it is not lightly that I advise you NOT to shop with www.fabricclub.com. Don't put yourself in a position to have your money taken and not get any customer service. :(

geesh

Ok, I will admit to being on a sort of a rant. Most of you know that I cross post here and on Blogger (Fiberaddikt) because I have friends and readers in both places. I also have a small version on my Ravelry site (I'm Gator on Ravelry). I usually try to keep things relevant to each or to the relatives that read my blog looking for pictures, but this time this is a site-specific rant.

OK, Multiply...what was wrong with the old version? I'm not at all computer phobic and not always adverse to change, but honestly, I don't like the new version. The old one was set up the way I liked it with the calendar on the side, the responses and new entries grouped the way I wanted them, and I'm frankly not happy that they decided to change it. I'm a paying member as I know many of you are, and I don't recall them asking anyone if we wanted any changes to take place. Ok. That said, just know that I'll probably blog from Blogger now, and might not be around on Multiply as much as before. I'm sorry, I'll miss reading many of my friends' posts, but honestly I don't have the time to reconfigure or (figure out) the new product.

I'm taking a big deep breath now and moving on to the next thing to do in my computer time...checking facebook. lol

Memorial Day parades

We had quite a wonderful Memorial Day weekend, starting quietly and then ending with friends and activity. Our morning on Monday, Memorial Day, started early as we met up with some members of our reenacting group for the Hanover, PA Memorial Parade. Our "brother" unit is based up there and the head of that unit is quite involved with civic affairs so we marched to support their unit and their town. This is a cropped shot of my favorite guy.
There were very few of our members that were able to show up for the parade, some had illness issues and some had family issues. It's too bad because it was really nice. The core group was here and they marched in front with another Southern unit, and with the 16th PA. My dear friend Linda has a painful ankle right now so even though I dressed in CW attire, I opted to sit on the sidelines with her and watch the parade. It was wonderful and we both really enjoyed it. It was an absolute slice of small town Americana.
This is a shot of our guys with our "Brother" unit behind us. We have an event in 2 weeks in Pennsylvania and the 16th PA Volunteers will be there skirmishing along with our group, we're the Maryland 1st Cavalry, CSA. The two groups have fun together teaching living history and we're all friends.
After Mark and I left Hanover, we went to Gettysburg and met up with friends at O'Rourkes for lunch. We were all dressed for Civil War and waiting for the Gettysburg parade to start. We enjoy our friends in G'burg and we're so close (right down the road) that we're considered as locals, especially with me being up there working a day a week for the Park Service. We also ran into another friend from my sewing classes and chatted for awhile before the parade.
The parade was fantastic with lots of veterans honored, and reenactors from every war from the Revolution through Viet Nam represented. There were historic vehicles with appropriately dressed soldiers (male and female representatives of all branches of the military) as well as modern ACU's, Marching bands, a few floats, and I was lucky enough to have joined up again with my friend that knew everyone from town so I had a running commentary on who everyone was. She's on the chamber of commerce and so she knows who everyone is. Then after the parade was over, we gathered again for some much needed water and other food and drink. It was a very nice day, though hot to be in 7 layers of cotton and a corset. lol. And the guys were in wool all day but as us reenactors know, natural fibers are the best.

Knitterly Things

I've actually been doing a bit of knitting these days despite being back to flying a full schedule. I finished one of each pairs of socks I've been actively working on. It's hard for me to work on more than one thing at the same time but this one (Central Air pattern) is hard to work on unless I'm able to concentrate on the pattern which doesn't happen much at work. This has been the home project lately. I've always been a process rather than a progress knitter, enjoying doing the project even if I don't always finish. But lately, with putting my projects up on my Ravelry Page and looking at all the great projects out there I'd like to do, I'm feeling internal pressure to pick up and finish some of my long dormant ones.

This one is called Cedar Creek and it's much easier to work on for just a row here or there so I've been taking it to work. The second one of this pair is about an inch from starting the heel. I've picked up a project that was in hibernation, a plain seed stitch scarf that was on top of the TV cabinet for a couple of months. It's too big to take with me to work now but it's really close to being done so I'm going to get it done and off the needles. I have lots of great projects in my queue so I always want to enjoy knitting as much as I can. I should have another Socks that Rock kit on it's way, so I feel like I want to get these two pairs done and off the needles!

The girls, the sock, and spring flowers

After 9 days of straight rain, we finally had some sunny days. Being the lover of sunbeams that Gracie is, I caught her here taking a nice nap right in the sun on the window ledge. The cat pad is on a drawer unit in my office, and it's a favorite of all the cats on a sunny day, but Grace was first to it that day.

This is a picture of one of Aidan's socks. Aidan and Jenn must have left it behind when they were here in April, and all of a sudden it appeared in the hallway between our bedroom and the bathroom. I figured that one of the cats (probably Rosie) had been carrying it around because it smelled of Aidan so I left it there for her. For a couple of days it appeared in various places including the living room and the basement, and it disappeared from time to time as well. Here it is on the blanket at the end of our bed that the kittens enjoy sleeping on. Ever since I took the picture, the sock has been missing, I'm sure that Rosie took it somewhere safe that she has stashed other items that we've been looking for.

And here's the lovable thief now, viewing life from the top of my chest of drawers. I'm not absolutely convinced that she's the only one that takes things, since I've not seen her with the sock in her mouth, I suppose it could be either of the girls. I finished a sock the other day and left it on the table in the living room while we went out and it ended up being moved too. :) I have a feeling that Rosie has a big stash behind the TV center because we can't get back there and the younger cats can.

Here's a shot of Belle on the bed. She has been underfoot a lot lately, following us from room to room. Rosie prefersto lie on the sheets and not on the quilt, she's far better trained in terms of not stressing the seams or the fabric by sitting or lying on the quilt.

We did some work in the garden last weekend and this week we are enjoying the beautiful blooms of our Iris gardens. As I've mentioned, I buy my Iris plants from a lovely lady that runs www.stoneycreekiris.com which is on the web and ships if you might be interested. The plants have really done well where they're planted and they're beginning to bloom. I have quite a collection of different varieties, and I've decided to let them go another year and hopefully spread out a bit before enlarging the garden any to plant more. I wanted to get a good feel for what colors I want to add to the existing collection.

This shot is to the other direction showing the blooms in the garden. I do so enjoy the plants and the early spring blooms. All the rain we had this season as well as the strange warm winter helped everything really look nice this year. We had a lot of rain yesterday and are expecting more today so they'll probably get soaked again. My herbs and lettuce are doing well on the back deck too. :)

A Beautiful Spring Morning!

It had rained every day for 8 or 9 days in a row which really helped our gardens come up nicely. We decided not to go to the Landis Valley Plant Faire this year since our front gardens were doing so well, and I want to let them fill in some more before I put more plants into it. I like the English Garden concept, groupings of plants that are right up against other plants too. I have a good assortment of different time of the growing season flowering plants so that I'll have some color most of the season. The gardens are on the north side of the house and under trees so it's always a challenge to find shade or part shade plants that can handle the hot afternoon temperatures as well.

The azaleas are in full bloom and some of the earlier blooming Iris are waiting to open. I have buds on most of the Iris plants already, with a few that were added last spring not yet flowering. I decided not to add anymore this year, I want what I have to flower and spread a bit before I think about putting in another one or two. I can always go up to Stoney Creek Iris's farm and get a couple directly. They're fantastic for having different and beautiful varieties.

Here's a view of the entire front yard, we do have room to expand the gardens but I think this year we're going to focus more on growing veggies in the back and filling in. After I took these shots, we got going to downtown Baltimore to the farmer's market.

This farmer's market is held under the highway right where the highway ends into the downtown area. There are food vendors, coffee, homemade doughnuts, crepes, breakfast burritos, plants, herbs, milk (glass bottles!) eggs, pickles and olives, and we love going there. It's open May-December on Sunday mornings and we had a shopping list in mind. First we stopped and got herbs and lettuce plants, I got a nice large assortment of herbs that I enjoy cooking with fresh. I also got 2 salvia plants for the garden, I'm going to put them in between the iris plants for some greenery and color as the Iris's aren't too pretty come the summer after they've bloomed.

Then it was off to the coffee line and to get freshly made mini-doughnuts which are absolutely to die for. I got fresh asparagus and spring onions, yams, and lettuce for tonight and some for the week, and then we went to the fish guys for a nice piece of Wild King Salmon. It was less expensive than Whole Foods (we call it Whole Paycheck!) and I like supporting local farmers and businesses. It's already marinating in the fridge and we're going to grill it outside this afternoon. Now we're getting ready to go to the local plant mart for some tomato and pepper plants, as well as one fuschia phlox to match the one on the other side of the front garden. We'll be planting this afternoon and enjoying the sunshine and warm weather. :)

Sleepy day

Today is another of many overcast days in a row. I got home from flying late last night and the cats woke me up this morning again for an early breakfast. It was two late nights in a row, and I just never could get going so I decided to work on my Ravelry site. It's neat because it has a place for your knit, crochet, and spinning projects, both completed and in progress, and I have many. Here you see Belle, who was being a bit needy today and hanging out with me as I worked on organizing and listing some of the stash of yarn I have. I have a couple of drawer units that have yarn in them and honestly I don't have a good handle on what is in my stash anymore so it was great to get started on posting my yarns on Ravelry. You can even sell or trade yarns from your stash on that website. I got only one drawer finished and cleaned out, but it's a start. I had to take pictures of all the yarn, it was very slow going.
I also posted information about various projects that are in progress on my Ravelry site so I had to take pictures of them. This pair of socks is in a pattern called "Central Air" which is a very easy lace pattern and I'm using a Socks that Rock Colorway called "Lucy". I have to pay attention while I'm doing this pattern and I haven't been flying any trips that give me a moment to sit in the gateroom between flights to knit, so I haven't made much progress. Hopefully eventually I'll have some quality knitting time. I started this one right after getting home from vacation at the end of April.
This sock is called "Cedar Creek" and it's in the "Rooster Rock" colorway, again by Socks that Rock which is my favorite sock yarn. I have made socks from other yarns, but I love theirs the best. I like the yarn itself, and the colors are beautiful. This is one of my favorite colorways so far. I've been going back and trying to do the older Socks that Rock club patterns from when I was not yet a member. I've been doing them mostly in the recommended or pictured color for the particular color (except the first one above, that color wasn't available-they rotate their colors) so that I expand my horizons and don't end up with a lot of similarly colored projects. I probably wouldn't have chosen this color from the swatches on their yarn site, but I love it in person.
This project is the March package for this year's Socks that Rock club, the pattern is called "Rogue Roses" and the colorway is "Gertrude Skein". I have been working it a little bit but I keep getting distracted by other things because I'm very much not impressed with this colorway. The pattern is not the most fun to knit either, combining cables with a traveling panel on a perl ground on the front and back for the pattern. The two socks will be mirror images of each other so they have to be done on different and opposite patterns. I will finish this but so far it's not my favorite.
I pulled out some of the "hibernating" projects that I've started in the past and it was a very good idea to go through the works in progress pile. This is my "Rosemarkie" vest from Alice Starmore's Celtic Knitting book. I really love the colors and it'll be my first priority when the above socks are finished to work on. I had to look for the book again to get the pattern from as I'd lost one of the sheets I'd copied it to (I don't want to carry and ruin the book while I'm working on the project) and took that opportunity to perch on the back of the sofa in front of the bookshelves and list my entire library of knitting books on my bookshelf on Ravelry. I had books that I'd forgotten, so, again, it was good that I spent the morning working on my Ravelry site.
This next hibernating project is a baby sweater that I'd started when Jenn found out she was pregnant with Aidan. It was also before they found out that they'd be having the baby and living in Hawaii so they weren't going to need a sweater. The pattern is free on http://www.knitty.com/ and is very easy, I just have to get back into it and get moving. You do the front and back in a round and that is nearly finished. I have to get the sleeves going and finish the neck. I love doing fair isles knitting, it's so much fun! This one might get done by when grandson #2 and the family moves stateside and has cold weather again. No promises. Just "might get done".
This project is a bit problematic. I started it years ago when I was not at all familiar with cables. It gave me some much needed practice doing the cables, but it was much too complicated of a project for me to start for a first experience with a new technique, plus to experience having several different patterns rotating on different number of row repeats all at the same time. I have the front nearly completed, though there are some errors that are making me nuts because I can see them clearly now that I've been knitting more. I don't know how to take out cables, but I do know that there are places where the yarn is split and probably won't frog out very well so I'm thinking I might just leave it and do better on the other pieces and move on. I love the yarn which my husband picked out, but I really haven't decided if I'm going to work towards finishing the sweater yet. I'll leave it in hibernation for now. I'm not going to make a decision today.