4 weeks, 3 people, 2 hours and $50...

My day job used to be in customer service..  I worked in a local hospital taking phone calls from the public and making appointments for everything from a mammogram to a blood draw to an xray to surgery...  it required a lot of customer service...  The goal was to make the customer happy, whether that customer was the public, the hospital department or the physician...It was hard work and I loved it.

We live out here in the middle of freakin nowhere...our only option for internet service is satellite... or dial up...  The satellite is ok most of the time...it's not the fastest and there are limits on downloading and uploading...   Four weeks ago, we realized that our satellite company was offering four new packages with faster speeds and higher downloads (or uploads or whatever loads)...  I called to get us set up...

No problems...I get the package I want at the speed I want at the price I want... Too good to be true, right?  Yea...
Their computer gets an error..
I'm told to call back in 72 hours.. to reorder
I call back..
Their computer is updating..
I'm told to call back in 72 hours...to reorder..
I call back..
I get the package I want at the speed I want at the price I want...
Their computer gets an error..
I'm told to call back in 72 hours...
I call back...
Computer error on their part...
Can I call back "MOUNTAIN TIME"...  um...why can't I call back in MY TIME???  No response...
I call back in two hours as mountain time is two hours different than central time. (that's really all I can figure out to do as silly as it sounds)
Computer is still in error mode...
Please call back in 72 hours...
This continued until last Wednesday when I was told that the package I wanted was no longer available...as of the day before...  EXCUSE ME!!  After 1 hour I was told that she would "manually add the order" and we would receive a call within 72 hours to schedule the installation day...

Will it surprise you to find out there was no call?  I didn't think so..

Today I finally talked to a supervisor...I didn't get the package I wanted...I didn't get the price I wanted...but I did get an installation date and $50 for "my troubles"... That's not nearly enough...but it's over...

So I went back to the sewing room...

I have been on quite the kick lately...something started me making these cute little skirts for the grandkids...   While at retreat at the beginning of March we visited the local quilt shop.  One of the ladies was holding a couple of jelly rolls and I asked her what she was planning to do with them..(as if we need a plan!LOL)  She started telling me how she makes her girls the cutest skirts and explained the whole thing to me... I fell in love and immediately grabbed two jelly rolls...

This is the first one I made.  I sewed enough strips together to measure one and a half times her waist measurement.  It wasn't quite full enough...but Abbie wears it..

This one is close to 3 times her waist measurement...  and much fuller..

and I got tired of sewing all those strips together and made these for Abbie...

And these are for Ava... 

I don't have photos of all the skirts...  I made a total of four for Ava and four for Abbie and somehow I ended up making one for Abbie's mothers boss's daughter..(did you get that?)

So then I got brave and bought a pattern for shorts!

 Epic fail!  They are way too long...the crouch is way too long.and bunches all up..very unflattering even on a 6 year old....and when I had Ava try them on she said "Grandma, this was supposed to be a skirt!".. well, that's the last pair of shorts I make...Apparently the girls would rather have skirts...and they are so much easier to make and fit...

So let's change things around and make something different...

A friend will tell you that this is a lot of pins for me to use!!

What's wrong with this picture?  Look carefully at the ruffle at the top of the photo... Yep..I sewed it on wrong side out. And of course I finished the edge and trimmed it so I spent another 1/2 hour unpicking the whole dang thing... Will revisit this one next week...

The next two days I will be granddaughter watching...our four year old has shingles of all things...she is miserable and isn't sleeping and it hurts and she can't go back to school for two weeks...  wish me luck tomorrow..and Friday...  I think I'll take the iPad and let her download the cupcake game...lol

And I finished my two blocks for our RedBird Bee...

These are for you, Tess.  They look wonky, but it's just the photographer...

Thanks for hanging in with me until the end... 

Nancy

FOCUS...

That is my word for the year...  I have never  picked a "word of the year" before...and maybe that's why I don't seem to be getting much done...  I am determined to make a lot of our Christmas presents this year.  To that end, I have decided to add a new board to my Pinterest...and would like to invite anyone that wants a present this year to add a link to it...  (oh, guess I need to say that you will also had to have been on my list this past year!)...  So I need a place to hide all those presents...mostly so I won't give them away early...LOL  ..  I tried to help our son carry this up from the basement the son and the husband to carry this up from the basement and into the sewing room. 

But why stop there?  I got Rich to do some quick carpentry..and I now have storage for my rulers..

And inside I will hide all the presents...I do think I will need a child lock on there..

And on this MLK holiday we did some more work on the house...you can read about it here..

And I did a bit of sewing...

a robe for an 18 inch doll made out of a vintage sheet

and a pair of PJ's for the same doll with a matching bib..

and Rich and I are working on a little something special...

just a little sneak peak...

And there is going to be lots of sewing over here in the next couple of weeks.  I joined the RedBirdBee, a shoot off of my Modern Quilt Guild and got the first block last Saturday...It's gonna be a pretty fun one to do... I'm not sure if we can show photos or not...need to check with the Queen Bee...  I also have some more doll clothes cut out...

And last Saturday was my Mom's 82nd birthday.  We had a party with cupcakes and ice cream and all the kids, grandkids and cousins...

Me, my Mom and Ava my grandchild.. Mom is holding the pillow I made for her bed.

This is Mom and Stepdad , Me (dark purple sweater) with the rest of my sisters, brothers and their significant others.

Nancy