Monday, October 25, 2010

Monday Mailbag

One nice thing about Monday mornings is Trent's 'Reader Mailbag' at The Simple Dollar. Here's the current batch of questions asked (and answered). But even if you don't find something helpful in this batch -- you will next week.

The weekly Festival of Frugality is interesting and helpful, too -- this version comes via Frugal Upstate.

Oh, and I am dying to add new numbers to our fuschia front door, just like Holly's here. (Maybe when I get back.)

We're hip-deep in fabrics and embellishments, finishing up on Crazy kits for tomorrow. They (and I) head out to Los Alamos, NM tomorrow morning. Would have left this afternoon, but we have a rather blowy in-and-out storm to deal with today. Better to stay home, and get an early start.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

October...What October?

Got home (again) late last night. I am so grateful to snuggle up again by Husband's warm back. To just hang out, watch "Ice Road Truckers" (the 'Deadliest Roads' Indian version - yowza!), eat The Mama's doughnuts (which she and I cooked Thursday morning), Husband reading the Sunday paper.
     Bliss.
I leave again tomorrow -- this time to teach in Los Alamos, NM. Back Thursday night, after a pitstop in Grand Junction. I'll try and check in on the way.
     Until then, take a gander at this post on J.D.'s Get Rich Slowly: it talks about the merits of long-term thinking. That's one approach that's kept me going through this long month of traveling -- if I just stay patient and knock things off the to-do list one at a time, I can get through it. This income is needed to start to meet the expenses from Husband's Labor Day time in the hospital. I need to keep going.
     Talk to you soon.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A Great Buy

Forgot to mention this earlier...Daughter #1 met the Mama and yours truly at the airport last Wednesday, with a big smile and a lovely double-breasted coat tossed over her arm. Thick navy wool, classic buttons, designer back, fitted her perfectly.

She kept grinning. Know why? Because that gorgeous coat cost her approx. $40. It was on sale (30% off), and she combined it with a 40% off coupon that she got for complaining about crappy service at the store. (Yet another reason for speaking up -- respectfully.) A $120-plus coat...for $40.

Her Hollander grandpa would be proud! I know I was, at her resourcefulness.

Michigan...

I've been here in Michigan since Saturday, trying to vanquish the flu I brought with, thanks to SOMEBODY's "generous" contribution. (The stinkers) The fever made its last appearance yesterday, but I still have a lovely, hacking cough to deal with. Sounds like I'm a six-pack smoker now.

The fall colors have been lovely, but definitely are on the waning side. No matter -- I'm grateful I've seen them at all. And even though The Mama and I spent the two weeks of the cruise together, she seems to be enjoying my staying at the family farm, too.

Tonight, I slept over at Little Brother's house (complete with movie and popcorn at night), but will be headed back to Mom's Thursday morning, to make doughnuts and popcorn balls for Halloween trick-or-treaters.

 I am getting to the point that missing Husband is a bone-deep ache. (With a few days' exception, we've been apart for three-plus weeks.) It's nice to be here, and I miss not seeing Brother, Sister, Mom and assorted cousins/uncles/aunts more often. But I will be sprinting for home on Saturday.

Thanks so much for keeping patience with me -- I know I've posted very little this month. While you're waiting, take a look at the Huffington Post review of quilts at the New York Folk Art Museum. The reviewer seems astonished that quilts and other textiles may not only represent the culture, but the quiltmakers' thoughts, tastes and opinions. I'm not! Good article, nonetheless.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Off to the Races Again Soon

My coughing and thrashing last night didn't help anyone else in the bed -- including me -- sleep. A student in the Crazy class had a cough and bleary eyes...apparently she passed on an extra bonus. Which I am about to take with me tomorrow to Michigan. I'd scheduled a week there with the Mama, as well as a few days with Brother and Sister, before the teaching cruise ever surfaced.
    Ah well. Brother says the fall leaves are still out and shouting their colors. That's one thing I miss about Michigan -- their heartbreaking symphony of red and orange. We get a very pretty gold out here in Colorado, but the rest of our colorings are more subdued.


   Clever Dude, bless his heart, passed on a batch of frugal tips learned from Secrets of A Stingy Scoundrel, or a book better titled as "It's Okay to Cheat, Lie, Take More Than Your Share and Be Obnoxious...As Long As You're Saving Money Doing It." Examples: take enough ketchup packets at the fast food place to replenish your bottle at home. (I smiled to myself, because one of the Uncles will clear off a table of sugar packets, etc., on this same theory. Grabby, but effective. I'll take a few for my food, but if I don't use them and they start to pile up at home, I will squeeze the extra into salsa, ketchup bottles, etc.)
   Example #2: Break up with someone just before a holiday, so you don't have to buy them a present. (I assume not buying for an elderly aunt, on the theory she's going to kick off soon, flies under the same radar. Unless you hope to inherit something from her, of course.)
   Some interesting stuff here -- but I don't plan to save money by selling my soul. It almost sounds like that wouldn't be a problem for the Stingy Scoundrel -- as long as he gets enough cash for it.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

I'm Back!

Teaching on Deb Roberts' Textile Tours cruise to Hawaii was fun...especially after I learned to work while weaving back and forth! We got back late last night, shook the sand out of the suitcases, and I started washing Clothes Mountain that magically grew in the closet while Husband was baching it.

More tomorrow, when things don't seem quite so surreal. Life sure is different when you make your own breakfast, and don't have chocolates laid out on the pillow!

In the meantime, here are some interesting insights on professional symbols -- some secrets here.

See you tomorrow.

Monday Stuff On the way to Other Stuff: Meltdown

     The nice thing about Colorado is that we have these horrendous snowstorms -- and within a few days, they're melting off -- fast. Al...