BitchinStitchinFiberworks

12:31:09 PM PDT
Feeling Cheerful
Hearing kpig.com

I'm a woman...I'm allowed to change my mind, right?  Good...I'm glad we all agree!

I've decided to use a dedicated travel blog site instead of using this blog here for my travel blog.

So instead of coming here to see where we are, go to this site instead>>>

http://www.travelpod.com/members/stitchinfool

See you there!

Janis

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2:29:52 PM PDT
Feeling Excited
Hearing Kpig.com

Ok...well...next week we leave for our road trip across country.  Keep an eye on this spot for a blow by blow of our travel adventures!

We're leaving on June 11th for Yellowstone.  From there we're going to South Dakota... Mount Rushmore, Deadwood and the Badlands.  From there its a straight shot to my hometown of Geneva Ohio!  And then we're on to KY for my son's wedding. 

After the wedding, we are bringing the newlyweds out to CA for a visit.  We'll stop in Paducah so I can go to the Quilt Museum and from there we're headed to the Grand Canyon.  Then we'll come home so my hubby can go back to work.  And I'll be taking the kids up the coast to San Francisco.  I want to make sure they get to see the big Redwood trees too.  And they'll finally be heading home on July 15th.

What a month this is going to be!

Janis

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6:10:20 AM PDT
Feeling Anxious

Geez...is this blog pathetic or what?  I have been averaging about one post a month.  No wonder no one ever reads it.  Oh well.

I'm going in for surgery tomorrow.  Gonna get my thyroid removed...or at least part of it, and that nice 3 cm mass that has grown so attached to it.  Will try to post before next month to let you know if I survived...LOL.

As far as quilting goes, I've been working on a quilt to give to my son Josh, and his bride, when they get married in June. However, my friend Tracy had a bad fall from her horse and broke her arm so I took a little break from the wedding quilt to whip up something to (hopefully) cheer her up.  I can't describe it or show a photo of it yet because I won't be mailing it out until today and she might be the one and only person that actually reads this blog so I don't want to ruin her surprise. I did want to talk about the actual process of making it though.  I had an absolute blast making it.  It was something that I could "play" with...and it dawned on me how much I've been missing that lately since all I've been making for the past year are bed quilts.  No wonder I've been in such a damn slump. The problem is...I still have some more bed quilts that I need to make before I can start being creative and making art like I want to.  I still have to make a quilt for my sister...I already have the pattern and fabric for it.  I also need to make a quilt for my other two son's, Jarrod and Jeremy.  And Damn...I still don't even have a quilt for my own freakin bed!  Fer shame.  I will have to get busy and make these bed quilts mentioned above so I can start making art like I want to.  Or maybe I'll alternate.  Either way, something has to change or I may just lose my muse all together.

Janis

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10:24:08 AM PDT
Feeling Angry


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6:15:31 PM PDT

 

 

Here are some of the fabrics I need.  here are actually four different fabrics here but any of them will do. I need more of the white than I do of the dark but hey...anything will help.

By the way...that dark background is navy blue, not black. 

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12:17:30 PM PST
Feeling Happy

Yep...you read the subject heading correctly...I'm back to the blog.  I had Dierdre close down the Wordpress blog because I just wasn't enthused.  I just don't blog often enough to keep up a blog like that.  It was supposed to be a blog about my quilting life and I just don't have that exciting of a quilting life.  LOL.  I will write when I start a new project and I'll write when I'm finished...thats abou it.  I don't have a big long list of people that read my blog anyways and this one is just fine for my purposes.

Dierdre is still working on my website though. www.janissalcfas.com  I'm afraid I haven't been much help to her though...I just don't know much about that kinda stuff.  She wants my input on backgrounds and colors and designs and all that and geez...I don't know!  I told her to just throw one together that she likes and I'll let her know if I like it or ot.  LOL again.  So stay tuned...I'll let ya know when its ready for viewing.

We're getting a new puppy tomorrow!  How's that for cool?  Its a six-week-old black lab...purebreed from what I'm told but that doesn't matter to me, as long as she's a lab.  I love labs.  They just fit with our lifestyle and are perfect dogs.  I'll be posting a pic as soon as she arrives.  Gotta think up a name for her. 

Steve and I are planning a three week road trip back east in June.  And we were worried about what we were going to do with the dogs.  Well...it just so happens that the woman we're getting the puppy from is a house sitter!  How convenient is that?  Problem solved! 

I am working on a new quilt...a wall hanging from the book Quilt Mavens_Perfect Paper Piecing_  Its called Aarons' Quilt II but I have named mine 4-way street because I was listening to Crosby, Stills Nash and Young when I was working on it and it just seemed to fit. I ran into some problems with the pattern in this book...the cutting instructions were wrong.  So if you have plans on making this quilt, my advice is to contact the pattern maker in email first.  (Deb K)  I contacted her about the errors and she confirmed that my measurements were right and hers were wrong but that's as far as it went.  I asked her to put a corrections page up on her web site for others that have purchased her book but she didn't seem too enthused.  I was pretty PO'ed about the whole thing to tell the truth because I was using the expensive Cherrywood fabrics and those fabrics ain't cheap! Oh well...live and learn.  You can bet I will be double-checking any other pattern I make from this book, and I probably won't be recommending the book much.  Here's a pic of my quilt. I still have to put the outer border on. Its a paper pieced spikey border. 

 

 

If Steve should get home early from work today we might actually go get the puppy tonight! So I better get going with my day just in case I have to be ready. 

Sure feels good to be back!

Janis

 

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9:56:33 AM PST
Feeling Sad

Well, I got the call this morning.  Jimmy has died. There goes one of the best friends I've ever had. I'm devastated.

There is comfort in knowing that when he died, he was wrapped in the quilt that I made for him, and they said they would put it in his casket with him. He is now going to rest forever with Carolyn, his wife and companion.

Good-bye Dear Friend.  I loved you dearly.

Janis

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12:25:51 PM PST
Feeling Angry

I'm posting yet another update on this issue since the whole EQ6 activation thing seems to have taken on legs and is being debated on a good many groups, lists and forums, with my original post being referenced in all of them.  I received a letter from this Tek guy asking for permission to reference my blog post, which I granted, although he didn't have to ask, and I didn't have to agree.  If he wants to take on this cause and be the thorn in EQ's side that might incite them to make some changes to this ridiculous policy, then more power to him.  I'm afraid that if I were to try to do it, I wouldn't be as poilite and respectful as he seems to be being, plus, he seems to know a heck of a lot more about technology than I do. The fact is that I still feel that this activation policy is a crock and is just plain wrong.  There are just so many other ways they can go about it.
 
I haven't been reading the Info-eq list for a long time although it does still come to my gmail account, in digest form, and I have been archiving them there until I can get to them and scan them for information that I may want to save, but last night I accidently clicked and opened one of them, and there, sure enough, was a reference to my blog post. I only read the one digest and then I started following some of Tek's links where I ended up on the Electric Quilt website....  and I read this>>
"Users experiencing defective computer issues beyond their control will surely be helped without cost."  Now I don't know if this was on the website before my incident or if they just modified their policy to reflect that they did grant me a 5th activation but if this has been on their website all this time, I am sincerely PISSED because there is no case that I can think of that would fit that statement more than mine did.  I did have extreme computer problems that were out of my control, and I wrote to them numerous times, even when I didn't need an activation at the time, telling them of my computer problems just in case I might need another activation, yet when I asked for that 5th activation, they denied me and said,  "For The Electric Quilt Company to be fair and equal to ALL our customers, we need to have a policy that we enforce for everyone no matter how difficult it may be.  We can certainly appreciate your computer difficulties since we have many computers in our office that we maintain and use. I am very sorry Janis, but I must tell you that we can not issue any more activations free of charge for you. Additional activations can be purchased for $37.50. We hope that you can understand our position.".

Like I just said, I don't know if this has been on the website since the very beginning but if it has, I am sincerely pissed off!  Look at all the stress and aggrivation they caused me...look at all the hoops they made me jump through, look at all the threats I had to make just to get them to live up to their own policy!  Listen folks...I am not a healthy person!  I can surely live without the stress that this whole thing caused me and if this has been posted on their website all this time, yet they still refused my extra activation...well...simply put, they should be ashamed of themselves. 

I saw some of the responses to Teks comments on the Info-EQ list..some folks were clearly aggrevated with him for even trying to buck the system...obviously in their eyes, EQ can do no wrong...but then a good many of them added that they felt that the 4 activations were going to be plenty for them.  I hope thats the case!  I hope they never have to ask EQ for more! But I'm sorry....after I paid my hard earned money for a software program to use on my computer and then, after some computer problems (that were out of my comtrol) to find that I can no longer use that program without paying them more money, well...its wrong and even though they did grant me that 5th activation, I will never buy another program from them and I will encourage everyone I know to not buy it either.  I shouldn't have had to beg, and plead, and make threats, and neither should anyone else!  Not for ANY software program...espcially when they clearly stated in their letter to me that they KNEW I wasn't pirating their software! 

As I said in my first post on this issue...I still need to reformat my hard drive on my laptop.  Again I have computer problems out of my control.  But when I do that I will be wiping that hard drive clean and I will have to pay EQ for yet another activation.  I'm sorry, but this is just plain wrong.  And get this...I do have EQ5 on that laptop too...which is what I will start to use again once I do reformat, but I can't take my projects from that EQ5 to my EQ6 should I decide that I want to work on that project at my desktop!  They getcha coming and going! 

It just continues to get more and more ridiculous!  So Tek...if you can get these people to make some changes, you can reference my blog all ya want.  I wish you success.  Janis

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2:41:20 PM PST
Feeling Chillin'

Ho Ho Ho!  I hope your holiday has been a good one and that you got to spend it with family and friends and people that are important to you.  Mine has been good.  Steve can't make my kids come and see me, and he can't make the grandkids IM me, so he just buys me lotsa stuff in hopes that my holiday won't be downright miserable.  I miss my family so bad.  It was nice that I got to spend a little money and send each of them a nice present or two, but here I am at 2 PM on Christmas day and I'm still waiting to hear from each of them.  I got Josh and Jarrod both a printer for the computer.  I got Jarrod a camera, and since Josh already had one, I got him a zip drive cause thats what he asked for.  I got Jeremy a camera because he told me earlier this year that he lost his when he went to Niagra Falls and then I got an email from him the other day telling me that he already replaced it.  So now he has two cameras.  I told him to send it back and that we could exchange it for a MP3 player or a printer but I haven't heard back from him about it.  I'm telling you right now dear reader that if my boys don't call me today to wish me a Merry Christmas and thank me, I will never ever send them another present.  Its just common courtesy for cryin out loud.  It cost me $30 each just for postage on two packages and $20 on the other package.  That will be the last time I do that!  And thats not including the cost of the presents themselves. From now on its gift cards...and they will be specified for the grandkids only.  I bought them all something computer related this year and told them that these presents weren't for just them, but were for the entire family, and I did this so that I would be able to see photos of my grandkids...either on line or printed out and sent to me. Josh and Jarrod both thanked me for their printers but at the time, their other presents hadn't arrived yet and I haven't even heard from them yet on whether or not they DID receive them!I'm sure they are there...I checked the tracking info.  So...my phone had better start ringing...or in the least they can IM me. 

Jeremy doesn't have any children but I couldn't leave him out just because of that.  When he starts having kids, the presents I send will be for his family, or for the kids specifically.  I just feel that when my children become adults and start raising their own families, that all the money should be spent on those children because after all...thats what the gift-giving aspect of Christmas is all about....the kids. 

Santa was very good to me.  And I was very good to Santa!  I got just about everything I wanted.  I got a new HandyCam from Sony...a camcorder and I have been wanting one of those for a few years now.  We were going to get one last Christmas...couldn't afford it, and then I was supposed to get one for my birthday...still couldn't afford it.  But I finally have it.  And I've been having fun with it.  As soon as I figure out how to make movies with it, I will be posting some, so watch this blog for that.  This blog will now be dedicated to my family, daily life, and political opinions...whereas my Wordpress blog will be dedicated to my quilting...and maybe some political opinions there too...should I find that that blog has more readership than this one.  I received a comment on my other (wordpress) blog from that ignorant woman that was leaving her bullshit republican comments on my picturetrail site when she couldn't figure out how to leave them here on my AOL blog and she said she hoped I would keep that new blog quilting only and keep my political opinions to myself...well...she screwed up when she did that because now I will post my political comments there just to piss her off!  But this blog here will be where I post the bulk of my political frustrations. 

Anyways...more about what Santa brought me.  I got some new clothes...mostly stuff from Softsurroundings.com and from TerritoryAhead.com.  I just love clothes from those two places.  I got a gorgeous plaid velvet big shirt, and a couple of beautiful sweaters...and he ordered a suede jacket for me but its backordered and won't be shipped until the 28th. Its a washable suede...go figure.  I got another fabric jacket but when I unwrapped it, it wasn't what I thought it was going to be so I'm going to return it.

I also got a new desk chair and man is it comfortable, and man did we need it!  I also got a rolled plaid blanket to keep in the car...now I really like that because when Steve and I travel I'm always looking for something to pull over me when I'm napping while he's driving.  He also got me a blood pressure monitor.  My blood pressure has been high a little bit lately and its making me nervous so I want to keep an eye on it. I got a new purse from Fossil and a nice leather case for my new video camera. I'm sure I got a few other things that I'm forgetting about right now but the point is that I had a very nice time unwrapping presents and that helped to make my Christmas better, despite the absense of my children and grandchildren. Whats really cool is that the week before Christmas I finally got my new smile.  Yes, that's right...new teeth...or as my son Josh would say...I got a new "grill"...LOL.   I have had lousy, weak teeth my whole life, and more toothaches than I care to remember.  I've had a upper partial since I was 20 and as I would lose another tooth, yet another would be added to it.  Well..finally we decided that it was time for me to get a full upper denture.  I was pretty scared because I've seen how women look with dentures...many of them look so much older and they have that sunk in look.  I finally found a fabulous dentist and she did a wonderful job...my teeth look so natural and are so comfortable and I'm just so pleased.  I also have a new lower partial, and its a major pain in the ass to get used to but I'm working on it. 

 

Not bad, eh?

I was very good to Santa this year too.  I got him mostly clothes...from either the Territory Ahead or from Macy's.  He needed dress clothes SO bad...so I got him a new casual sport coat and three new dress Henley's...they are dress shirts without the collar...Oh my, they look so nice.  Don't know what I'm talking about?  Here's an example. I also got him some dress jeans.  His big present was a lawnmower...he's been wanting a new lawnmower about as long as I have been wanting a video camera...LOL.  I got him some flannel lined jeans too...those will keep his legs warm when he takes the dogs for a walk.  And he wanted a Carhartt jacket for working in the yard but I got the wrong kind and we're going to exchange it. I got him one with a hood and he didn't want a hood.  Humph.  LOL.  I got him some nice leather gloves too...for working with the wood or in the yard.  (Got me some too!) 

So overall it was a very nice Christmas.   I'm gonna jump in the shower now and get busy making our chistmas feast. Prime rib and all the fixens.  I'm also going to spend the rest of the day waiting for my kids to call me.  They better!

Janis

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10:17:57 PM PST

I have started a new blog on Wordpress.  Deirdre has convinced me that I need to be on a blog where people can leave comments without having to create an account.  I'm still hopeful that I will find a setting somewhere in this AOL blog where I can make this one the same way but until I do, you'll just have to keep up with me at my new blog on Wordpress.

To be honest, I'm kinda bummed about it.  I'm already having problems uploading photos to my new blog, whereas I never had that problem with this one.  And the new one is so complicated!  Yes, I know that its complicated because it has many more features than this one has and soon using those features will probably be second nature to me, but I'm still feeling a little bummed.  Maybe the word isn't bummed, maybe I'm just feeling a sense of loss.  Dammit AOL, why couldn't you make this blog more complicated?  LOL.  I just need to have two more things...just make it so that people can leave comments without creating an AOL account, and make it so that I can add modules in my left and right columns so that I can add one of those Webring boxes.  Is that too much to ask?

Deirdre is working to make me a website and has told me that if I have my blog on wordpress, she can combine the blog with the website.  I'm not quite sure how that works but it will be interesting to see.  I guess hers is set up that way and from what I can tell, if she (or anyone else) is on her website and wants to go to her blog, she has to click on a link....so if thats the case, what is the difference between linking the website to a Wordpress blog or an AOL blog?

Obviously, I have so much to learn. 

I see that AOL blogs has just added a new "Writer" feature which means that I can make this blog so that other people, that I allow, can write on this blog just like I can.  Maybe I can convince my sons to let me add them and we can use this blog as a family blog.  Or maybe I'll make this my political blog exclusively.  I seem to have a couple of folks that like to comment about my political posts here, problem is, they have chosen to leave their comments on my picturetrail site instead of bothering to set up a name and password here so they can leave a comment here.  Well, I fixed that...I turned off the comments area on my picturetrail site. That site is for my photos only. I'll be closing it down soon anyway, as soon as I get my website set up. They didn't have anything intelligent to say anyways.  One poster had no defense for their neocon idiocy, so all they could do is bitch about my poor spelling. I can't remember what the other person said so it must not have left too much of an impression on me.

Never-the-less, I may have a new blog, but I'm not giving up on this one completely yet. 

And since I was unable to post the pic on my new blog that I wanted to, let me go ahead and post it here.

That was just SO easy!

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