Incoherent Scribblings

Over the past two weeks I took another step of reintegrating into American society: I bought a car. Once I successfully passed my driving test I figured it was only a matter of time before I would take the plunge and get a vehicle, because let’s face it, in the United States you can’t really function without one.

Since I got back I have been driving my mom’s 1980 Chevy Malibu and to be honest, I really figured I would continue to do so for a while. However, since I have to drive 44 miles round trip to work (I got a temporary job helping out my dad while I wait for a library job) and that Malibu gets horrible gas mileage, I was prompted to start looking into buying a more fuel-efficient car.

As luck would have it, my step-dad came across a really good deal on a 2004 Chevy Cavalier about two weeks ago. And though I wasn’t 100% sure about the make and model, it turned out to be exactly what I was looking for: A late model vehicle that gets great gas mileage… and the fact that it is a little blue coupe just sweetened the deal all the more. So a couple of trips to the bank to apply for a loan and one cashier’s check later, I am the proud owner of a brand new used car.

Now, “buy a car” is something that I had considered putting on my 101 Things in 1001 Days list, but since I wasn’t sure how long it would be before I could actually make such an investment I chose to list “save $500 towards the down payment for a new car” instead. However, given this new (and somewhat unexpected) development and the fact that I plan on driving this particular car for some time after my initial 1001 days, I have made the executive decision to revise #61 from its original form and substitute “get a loan for a new car” so that I can cross it off.

And that $500 that I was supposed to be saving for a down-payment? Well, I suppose I should still save it because I will eventually have to buy new tires or maybe something even more essential… like a fancy stereo system.

To start off today’s post I wanted to show off the Crazy Cat Lady Exchange that I stitched for Natty. It is a Britty Kitty design that I trimmed with some lace that was in my mom’s sewing stash and made into a little door hanger. I just love the way it turned out and sure had a hard time giving it up!

Next I wanted to offer my apologies to all the SBQers out there. I know that I forgot the SBQ last week, but that silly midnight to eight shift messed me up and I seriously lost track of the days! Anyway, I remembered today was Wednesday, so here is this week’s SBQ as suggested by Lee:

As we all know, stitching in the winter can really be rough on the hands. What do you do to treat your hands well in the cold winter months? Do you have any suggestions for creams or soaps? Or perhaps a special regimen that you would like to share?

This is an interesting question for me because for years and years I lived with dry hands because I didn’t like the greasy feeling that most hand lotion leaves behind after application.

When I was living in Germany I got a free sample of Dove Hand Lotion and started putting it on my hands before I went to bed. I was amazed at this stuff because it soaked in quickly, didn’t leave a greasy feeling, and seemed to really help my nails. About a year ago I also started applying it in the morning as well and last winter I didn’t have dry hands at all.

However, I am not sure what this winter will bring. Winter in Iowa can be very dry and, stitching or not, my hands always suffer. To start with I suppose I will start applying my Dove Hand Lotion more frequently, but I will definitely be looking at the responses to these questions to see if I can get some more ideas to keep my hands from chapping up and flaking off.

Greetings from the midnight to eight shift! As I mentioned in my last post, I am working part-time for my dad while I am waiting to get a library job. My dad is a deputy sheriff in Small County Iowa and I am dispatching for them part-time. This shift is pretty quiet, so I imagine this will not be my last post from the sheriff’s office.
Anyway, I just realized that I have yet to post a picture of the needleroll exchange that I received from Christine last week. I love this little needleroll and can’t wait until I get my own place so that I can display my ever-growing needleroll collection.

Today (OK, technically yesterday) I got my Crazy Cat Lady Exchange from Judith. As you can see, she stitched me a Britty Kitties design and made it into a little flat-fold. (If you look closely at the top right-hand corner of the picture you can see Scooter checking out my CCLE.)

Judith also included some goodies: Two skeins of Gloriana silk! This is my first silk thread and I have to say that I am having so much fun fondling it that I am not sure if I want to stitch with it!
I have been working on my square for Mylene’s round robin and am getting pretty close to finishing it. However, today I was in the mood to stitch something else, so I finally got my act together and started my scissor fob exchange. Since it is a fob, it is a small design and I was able to finish the stitching today… Now I just have to put the fob itself together.

I brought my stitching with me tonight so after I finish up here I will probably pull it out and work on Mylene’s robin while I wait for something to happen… Even though I hope nothing actually does.

Seeing as I turned my calendar over this morning, I guess that means it is goal day again already. I know that I didn’t meet all of my goals for September and I am a little disappointed. Considering everything that was going on though, I guess I really didn’t do too bad…

As a reminder, my September goals were to:

1. Mail my Needleroll Exchange Piece. (Post date September 5) Yep!
2. Start, finish, and mail my Crazy Cat Lady Exchange Piece. (Post date September 25) Yep!
3. Start and finish Round 2 of my RR. (Post date October 1) Yep!
4. Start my Scissor Fob Exchange Piece. (Post date October 25) Nope!
5. Get back to my daily rotation ASAP. Nope!
6. Participate in the Robin’s Nest September Stitch-a-thon. Nope!

I have managed to get into some sort of a routine around here, but I am still trying to figure out exactly when and where to stitch. I am working part time for my dad and trying to help my sister out with my niece and nephew while I am waiting to get a library job and believe me that is keeping me busy enough that even when I have some time to stitch or blog, I would rather take a nap! I also don’t feel as comfortable stitching as I would like right now because I don’t have a cozy stitching corner and my stash is scattered all over and still half-way packed up.

I guess now that I am a working girl again I should probably tone down my goals a bit, so for October I merely plan to:

1. Finish my square on Mylene’s fabric for the Group 4 RR. (Post date October 15)
2. Start, finish, and mail my Scissor Fob Exchange Piece. (Post date October 25)
3. Participate in the Robin’s Nest October Stitch-a-thon if I don’t have to work that weekend.
4. Stitch a little bit on each piece in my rotation.