HALF A BRAIN, JUST HALF A BRAIN IS ALL I WANT...

I would like to have just half a brain. . . just half. . . Today was a day where what little brain I do have was not functioning. . .

Last fall I bought a Bernina 830. LOVE IT! But I was a tad bit slow. . . I took the out of the box class. . . and a few others here and there when my schedule permitted. It's not like this was my first computerized machine. . . I had the Bernina 180, still do. For some reason when I brought the 830 home I could not take it out of the box and set it up. The two boxes which are VERY LARGE were in downstairs bedroom and they made the perfect gift-wrapping center for wrapping Christmas presents with the embroidery unit box sitting on top of the box with the machine in it.

Finally in February I took another class and promised my friends in it (we all have 830s) I was going home, take down my 180 and set up the 830. . . and I did within a few weeks. . .

This past week I went in to purchase the USB stick. . . over the weekend I decided to finally get on the computer and open software to design the monograms. . . saved them to the USB stick. . . . . . check it on the computer designs there. . . today I stick the USB in the 830 and doesn't find the designs. . . what is wrong??? DUMMY HERE saved it like you would on a regular USB and it was therefore saved in ART format. Shouldn't have been. . . should have been saved in EXP??? Think that's right. . . anyway I should have done it as if the computer was hooked up to the machine and sending design to it and instead of clicking on 830 machine click on 830 USB stick so it would change it to the required format needed on the machine. . . So I go back. . .do it correctly after it dawned on dimwit here what was wrong. . . go back to machine. . . low and behold the design is there this time. . . start stitching and the bobbin thread is pulling up. . . Re-thread the bobbin area and again. . . still pulling up. . . remove hoop and start picking out what had been stitched.

After lunch go to my dealer and tell them dumbest of dumb, dumber and dumbest (what my two friends and I call our little threesome group. . . (one of the instructors there calls us her problem children---see we are pitiful I tell ya) . . . the ladies working know it means. . . I have a simple problem but it turns major when comes to me . . . calls one of the Bernina experts . . . Bless her heart. . . shows Dumbest here how to thread the bobbin thread for normal sewing and the additional step for embroidery work. . . so it goes through three slots. . . and how to use the dental mirror to check to make sure it is in all three slots. . . well two of the slots. . . the first one is easy to see. . .

Now what I did after all that ordeal any ordinary person with half a brain could have done with their eyes close . . .

DD brought two cute dresses for her oldest two which she wanted me to do a three letter monogram on the bodice for them to wear to Meet-the-Teacher this Thursday at the pre-school they will be attending three days a week this coming school year.

Some time back I purchased the curly font at ALL ABOUT BLANKS Check them out they have darling things!!! I thought that font would be precious on these two dresses.









And this is a lunch bag which one of them wanted me to put her name on. This font is one built into the machine.

I Machine Embroidried Today

Last month a friend of one of our girls asked if I could put her daughter's name or initial(s) on a few towels and pillowcases she is taking to college this fall. Warned her I had not bonded yet with my new sewing machine as the previous week I did a large "E" on bathing suit for one of the grandbabies which turned out good but then "L'' on her little friends dress for her birthday didn't do as well...off centered. (I knew it was me and not machine...found out the reason from dealer and tried not to do that trick again).

Since the grandbabies are at the beach this week, I thought today would be a good afternoon to warm up to the new 830... Took me a WHILE to figure out what functions did what...and what is so sad is I have a 180 I got back in 2000, which embroiders and I used that baby daily...but took me a while to bond with her too...kept going back to my early 80's 930. Guess, I'm a slow bonder. . . is that a word??? doubt it. . .

Well, the 830 told tested me and jammed gears but I was bound and determine she would not get the upper hand. . . did what machine told me to do, did all the suggestions then tried again and worked fine....I think/know I am not doing the bobbin correctly that sucker is tricky, two ways to thread it one for normal sewing one for embroidery...I just try, say a prayer, hold my breath and hope it is correct. . .

Anyhoo... below is hand-towel and bath-sheet. . .

Two bath-towels. . .

A couple hand-towels and pillow case. . .
By the time I was finishing up we were agreeing with each other better...but the pillow case the bobbin wasn't correct as a few of the bobbin threads showed an ency weensy bit. . .

One day this week going to go visit dealer and practice there the two different ways to thread bobbin. . .

Tomorrow. . . going to be spray painting two chairs, three tables, a few milk cans and such. . .

Following day. . . painting porch swing. . . since it is dark and going white wondering how many coats it will take ? ? ? Be using Kiltz first so the dark stain won't bleed through the white paint.

ALERT---A GREAT GIVEAWAY

Go and visit my blog friend Barb at Bejeweled Quilts and look at the giveaway -----

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YES!!!! An ACCUQUILT GO!!!

YOU MUST TRY THIS!!!

We attended a cookout this weekend and my daughter's sister-in-law brought this and mercy was it ever good!!! I could have eaten the entire loaf!!!

Please go visit her blog BIG ROCKS AND POLKA DOTS where she tells all about it and posted the recipe. I am telling y'all it was SO YUMMY!!!

MEMORIAL DAY

Wishing all of you a meaningful Memorial Day! I wish to honor all who gave their all and lost their lives in all wars to keep us free and to honor all who have served in our Armed Forces and survived to return home to their loved ones.

A picture of my Daddy---Garland W. Hudgins when he was home before being sent to Europe during World War II. This was taken in his parents yard. He is holding my oldest first cousin Betty.

Daddy survived D-Day Invasion on Omaha Beach, Battle of the Bulge, and the Invasion of Africa.
While overseas his mother died and it took two weeks before the Red Cross notified him...he was at the Command Headquarters at that time.

Daddy survived the war and came home to marry my mother and raise two daughters. But loss his life way to early at the age of 63 to cancer.

BAD WEEKEND

Since Thursday life has turned upside down around these parts of the woods. I had bronchitis earlier and getting over it. Husband had signs of it and he would not go to doctor. Probably just as well now as Thursday he went for his normal blood work and his Dr. not there and the person seeing his patients doesn't do it but thinks he has pneumonia and sends him to ER. Where they start IV's going right then upon arrival with two antibiotics plus fluids as he's dehydrated. Do chest x-ray, come in and said he had to be admitted so the antibiotics could be continued. Also running a TON of Blood Work for bacterial infections among other things.

Baby Girl rushes from work and they sent her straight back. She talks him into being admitted. This man is 68 and was born in hospital and when 4 had tonsils out otherwise never a patient in one. Waiting for room to be made ready and next thing we know they are whisking him to ICU he is in Acute Renal Failure. He numbers were eight and suppose to be one or less.

Good news he did not have pneumonia and actually his lungs were amazingly clear. All the scans and numerous other tests show his heart is fine. His kidneys are normal in size, look great otherwise. This failure was caused by one Rx turning against his kidneys attacking them then another one he takes to protect his kidneys from diabetes turned against him causing further failure.

His numbers started coming down, his blood pressure which was dangerously low started going back up and his accelerated heart rate returned to normal by the next day so moved him to a private room. Where his reputation became the worse patient anyone had ever seen in their lives. Not a good reputation to have when those people check your IV's give you shots, tend to your catheter for 24 urine collection.

Saturday his numbers had dropped more but still high and they admitted two people for kidney failure whose were lower than his the day before. But since we are five minutes from hospital, and he so unhappy and stressed out, they agreed to let him come home and go back to Dr. Monday for blood work. To make sure the magnesium they gave him by the bagfuls for three days is holding and the bags of iron has his anemia which we had no clue about either are back to normal and especially his Creatinine levels are heading closer to normal levels. So he can remain home and off of dialysis. That they will find a medication he can take that won't mess his kidneys up. And they can get him back on his diabetes medicine as that and a dye used in one of the scans if mix in the blood/body that can do kidney failure as well.

LONG OVERDUE

I've been told I am long overdue for blogging. And I am. I promise to blog again soon. So far behind I'm not sure where I'll start. But I promise I shall soon . . . must get over whatever is going on in my lungs. . .told bronchitis but the medications hasn't helped that much and have finished the Z-pack--still taking the others.

My goal is to put an "E" on the cutest little swimsuit for the cutest little 19 month old with my new machine. Took my old one in for a good going over and to have two issues fixed...low bobbin thread alert and needle threader. Both had to be replaced on old one. It is now good for me to take to class or baby daughter to take over it when she feels she's ready to upgrade machines.

To get an idea how sick I've been, I was in the quilt shop one morning to order an embroidery stick. That afternoon Dr. Al called to tell me this issues, costs, etc., next day someone called and said it was ready to be picked up. Took me OVER two weeks to get there to pick it up. NOW, that was a first I doubt seriously that store open for 23 years at various locations and I've never been a week without dropping by to peek around to see what's new, etc.

When I went to get refills for Rx's I stopped in, got machine and the new stick.




Garden Song embroidery designs are by Nancy Halvorsen. Really nice designs in it. And while I was googling around looking for pictures of it found out there is a line of fabric by her in the Garden Song theme which looks NICE too!

Lori of Blue Waters...I PROMISE...I will get those pics and lace to you soon.

And good news is M-I-L who was taken ill before we went to PA and admitted to hospital, we cut trip short when we learned about her and came home to find her being moved to nursing facility for therapy. This week family told she should be able to go home in two weeks. We are elated never thought she'd be able to go home again the first few weeks at the facility. However, with the bout I've been dealing with and also DH dealing with now as well I can see how someone in their 90's could get that weak that quick.