On My Own: Day I've Lost Count

Today is my first double shift. I am on a short break right now, which I shouldn't have bothered taking seeing as Curt isn't home right now and he didn't get the laundry in that I asked him to. I was depending on that laundry so I could get something done so he could get a lot done for me while I work tonight. 

Alas, here I sit alone at home on my break not getting anything done I planned on. Blogging will do. 

I finished all the blocks for Jelena's quilt and did the sashing last night. No pictures yet, but it looks really cute. I still really hope she likes it because boy did I put a lot of time into it. 

I also quilted and bound the baby quilt I've been working on. I hate satin binding with a passion. But babies love it, so what can I do?

Tonight I will piece the back for Jelena's quilt, put it all together, and quilt it a little. I'm not planning on doing too much quilting because I don't want it to take away from the horses. I'm still debating how exactly I want to do it. And I'm not going to bind it. I'm thinking I'll just do the inside-out sandwich - turn it right side-out thing. And then topstitch around. Yeah, that will take much less time. 

Then I have to make a million headbands, baby shoes, burp clothes, and bibs. I'm never going to finish all this in time. I feel a couple all nighters coming on...  Maybe I can get someone to work for my Thursday night. That would be a huge help. Yes, I'm going to ask around. 

Curt's not home yet and I have to eat something before I get back to work. I was hoping he'd get back with milk, but no such luck. Guess I'm eating a Pop Tart for dinner... I'll grab a breadstick when I get back to work. And here's also hoping that Curt got me a job at the high school. I sent him in today to convince them to hire me, after leading me on with a job and dropping me like a dead fish in the toilet. Rude; so rude. I am forever resentful. 

On My Own: Day 1

Today was my first day all alone on the job. No one following me around, no one telling me what to do, no one grading my every move. Boy was it great to be free. 

In other news, my hubby is finally coming home, hopefully tomorrow night! I work a dinner shift tomorrow so he will probably get home the same time I will. I have missed him terribly for the past 12 days, the Finn has too. He was busy being a rock star, but I like him best here at home with me. He can be a rock star, just so long as he eventually comes home. I don't know what I'm going to do when he leaves me for three months this winter to tour Australia. Scratch that, I know what I'll be doing - probably working two jobs to try and keep up with the bills. 

What's up with Gossip Girl herself pimping Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist? I mean, great cross-marketing, but are the two related in any way?! Well, other than the fact that I love Gossip Girl and I also love Michael Cera. So yeah, I guess the commercial worked - I'll see the movie at some point and probably love it. I'd rather see Michael Cera in the Arrested Development movie that is rumored to be coming. Can't wait!

Training Day 6

Today was my last day of training. I was pretty much on my own today, Mandy didn't follow me very much. I passed my stupid menu test, 100% ! So that's a load off my shoulders until tomorrow when I have to study for my final server test. It's pretty much common sense, so I don't think it will be too hard. 

Today was a perfect fall day, cool temperatures, crisp breeze, but there could have been a little more sun. I pulled out my hand-knit wool socks. They made me feel very fally. 

Today's weather was quite the contrast to Saturday, it was very hot and humid, the beginning signs of Hurricane Ike rolling through. I took Finnegan for a walk between shifts at work and I made a big mistake:

Do you see it? I walked out of the door in my slippers. They are just like shoes to me and I wear them all over the house. I was talking to my sister while hooking Finn up, and I guess I was distracted. I didn't realize I was wearing them until it was too late to turn back. It made for a hard walk through the tall grass and wooded area, but Finn got his walk in and all was well. 

Tonight is my first night without studying to do, so I am going to make more blocks for Jelena's horse quilt.  Tonight will be the smaller horses, so I'm a little worried about drawing them and cutting them out, so I hope it goes well. 

Finnmonster has been driving me crazy all day, now he wants to go out *I think* It's hard to know what a dog wants when that dog can't talk. He's pretty good about scratching at the door, scratching at his food dish, but today he's just been crawling and clawing all over me and I can't read his darn mind. How long until we have that capability?

Training Days 4 & 5

Yesterday was crazy busy. I worked 9 am - 3 pm, had a couple hour break, and then went back in for a 5 pm - 9 pm dinner shift. Lunch was alright, but dinner was out of control. There were so many people working, the kitchen was cramped and HOT and our side of the restaurant was a sauna. We got relief by traveling to the other side of the restaurant, where their A/C seemed to be working really well. 

I got home late and had to study for my Menu Test. I was up until 2 am studying, but I still didn't feel comfortable with the stuff. This morning I was a nervous wreck, but when I got into work Mandy said I could take the test tomorrow. What a relief! 

Today was a good day. I did my reverse-follow, which meant Mandy followed me around while I waited tables. I think it went well, I felt pretty comfortable, and I walked away with good tips. The stinky part is that those tips go directly to the bank to fund our life. Darn, I really like having cash in my wallet. 

Now I have to study for that darn menu test again. I know the entrees, just not all the stupid vegetables that go along with them. I will learn them, and learn the wines that pair well with them. It's the veggies I'm worried about, not the wines ... I like wine, I'll pair it with everything. Vegetables? Eh, take them or leave them in most cases. 

I've watched two episodes of House this evening, and wow! - what great music. Damien Rice, something else, a folky Christian Aguilera cover. If House had a soundtrack, I think I would dig it. 

More music I'm digging right now? Phil Wickham. Right now you can download his Sing Along album for FREE and wow, it's really great. Even better? Curt totally hung out with him this weekend at the Spring Hill Music Festival. I was extremely bummed that I couldn't be there, because I really love Phil's music. Curt says they have a surprise for me, all I want is an autographed CD :-) I've been meaning to get his Canons album for awhile and just haven't gotten around to it, so I hope Curt comes home with one. Interesting fact about Phil? - He loves Jon & Kate + 8 as much as we do! I can't wait to get my surprise. 

Curt also called and left a message so I could hear John Reuben performing, he's so much fun live. And our power went out right when Superchick went on, so I had trouble getting through to Curt, but got to hear Superchick performing while Curt tried to explain the breakers to me. Turns out it wasn't a blown fuse or whatever, just the nasty side effects of Hurrican Ike blowing (seriously, blowing) through Indiana. Power came back on a couple hours later and I am a happy camper. 

Now to that dumb menu test... Wanna know what's in chicken marsala? I can tell you. 

Job Training: Day 2

Today was a busy day at the Garden. I was surprised to see so many people there for lunch. We did some book work in the morning and then started serving around 11. Wow, it got very busy very quickly. Our trainer Mandy, myself, and the other trainee, Kelli, had four tables to serve. For majority of the time there were 16 people we were serving. You don't realize how many people that is until they all need drink and breadstick refills. And don't even get me started on the tray carrying-- I can't do it. I am a small little girl; if not for my giant knockers, I would wear little girl things. My 12-year-old SIL is bigger than me. So when it comes lifting ginormous trays loaded with giant plates loaded with large servings of pasta, I am not the person to do the job. The problem? That is my job now. So I need to practice lifting and carrying trays with ONE hand and my shoulder. Yes, I see some practice in my future. 

So after a crazy busy day running around (and sampling delicious classic recipes and wines) I came home to my perfect dog Finnegan a pile of dog popp on the rug. Giant pile, of both runny and hard poop. On the rug that was in a pile in the entry way because he threw up on it last night and it needed to be washed. Boy did it need to be washed now. Finn knew he had done something wrong, he didn't even try jumping up on me, he just sat there with that guilty look in his eyes. And it's hard to be mad when I know he knows what he did was wrong, but boy was I mad. As I walked further into the apartment, there it was - more poop. Little dots of runny poop throughout the kitchen. like he was just walking around with a leaky bum. That or he stepped in a bit of it and then walked around the house. And there was more; under my desk chair. How did he manage to poop under my desk chair?! There is not space back there for a naughty puppy *read: 3-year-old* to squat and take another leaky dump. So I took the rug into the bathroom, flushed the poop, then went at the floor with cleaner on my hands and knees. Did I mention how mad I was? I won't post the pictures I sent to Curt... 

Finn doesn't do this, he can go for hours without being out. We have left him for very long days and he has been fine. Why now? Why me? Why when Curt is gone? I think he's harboring hatred for me leaving him two mornings in a row and staying gone all day. I'm not gone that long, I just think he is very lonely without anyone else around. Because he also managed to get the sheet on our couch all the way off the top and even rip one of the pillows, like he was just running back and forth on the top of the couch like a tasmanian devil. Devil is the right word- my mom calls him the diablo dog; I can't disagree.

As mad as I am about his unacceptable behavior, Curt is still gone and he is the only thing I have to keep me company for the next week. So he gives me his puppy eyes and I forgive him. Until I remember that I have to go outside to go downstairs to put the rugs in the dryer. It's raining outside, I don't want to go out, which also means he probably won't be getting a walk, which I think is the exact opposite of what he needs right now. 

What I need right now is my husband and a bottle of wine all to myself. I have neither, unfortunately, but I do have mint chocolate chip ice cream and leftover baked ziti, so I guess I'll just have to cope. Where did the night go, it's already almost 7?! My current timeline is leaving me wanting more hours in a day. 

Enough time wasted blogging. No one reads it anyway, but it's good enough for me to vent. I'm going to get some ice cream, baste the baby quilt, and maybe then if I'm feeling generous, Finn will get his walk after all. 

Job Training: Day 1

My first day of training went as well as can be expected. We watched a bunch of lame videos about sanitation, food preparation, blah blah blah. We got to sample a bunch of the appetizers, that was wonderful because I ate so much, I didn't have to cook dinner at all. But in exchange for a free meal day, I had to eat calamari, stuffed mushrooms, and mussels. Can I get an eewww? To some this may sound like a delight, but I felt like I was on an episode of Fear Factor. But they weren't terrible, and if I had to eat them again I would. 

Yesterday I also finished the first horse block of the horse quilt:

Sorry about the bad quality - taken from my iPhone. But I think you get the gist. I was really pleased with how this turned out, hopefully Jelena will be too. Because the black stallion is her absolute favorite of all horses (at least it was 4 weeks ago...) And she wanted it with the blue ribbon, so voila - here's her horse. I hope the other horses will come out looking as cute. Oh, and this guy still needs an eye. I'm debating how I want to do that, suggestions?

Okay, time for bed. The Finn-monster is being, well, a monster. He thinks there's something under our porch and he won't go bathroom. I know there is nothing under there and he is just mental. I also happen to know that he has to go bathroom, but I'm not going to stand out there all night while he gets himself stuck under the deck. Instead, I'm sure, he will wake me up at 5AM to take him out so he can go bathroom and then trick me and try to hustle under the deck. And I also happen to know that he needs a bath; but I don't want to give him a bath. It's not hard and it doesn't take long, but it just takes that effort I'm not willing to put in right now. 

Right now, I am ready to put in effort into going to bed. I have to wake up in less than 8 hours, darn, messed that up again. My shirt is ironed, my pants are hemmed, I'm ready for Job Training: Day 2. 

Getting Ready

Today will be spent getting ready for numerous things. One, getting ready for my new job as a server at Olive Garden, which I start tomorrow. I had to get oxford shirts and black pants, all of which are too big for me, of course, so I have to hem the pants and take the shirts in a little. 

Second, I need to get my house ready for the possibility of the landlord coming by tomorrow with a new realtor. The house we live in, as well as a few others, have been up for sale for over a year now. They had a realtor initially, then tried to sell them themselves, now they are trying a different realtor. So of course she wants to tour all the apartments, which means cleaning up. However, I will be at work while they are coming by, and because we have a terror of a dog, they won't be coming into our apartment unless I am home. I am pretty sure I'll still be at work, but just in case I get out early or something, I will have to pick up the house so it is presentable. I don't think it's very bad right now, just a mess from all my sewing and crafting. I am going to get as much sewing done as possible today so I can take tonight and clean the house up.

I hate when they come through our house because I just don't like the thought of strangers looking at my things. Oh well, such is the life of a renter, I guess. I think I'll just take all the junk and put it in bags and then put the bags in my trunk or something. I really don't feel like doing a total overhaul, and I always get stuck doing it alone while Curt is away. How does he always manage to pick the most opportune times for him to go away?For now, I will make a cup of tea and get to work sketching out these darn horses. Have I mentioned that I have never likedam indifferent about horses? They just seem like large, hairy animals, and yes, I see their usefulness say, on a farm, but I cannot see them as a cute and cuddly animal that little girls go gaga over. Baby horses, maybe, but not the big ones.

Bachelorette Again

I just started a quilt for my cousin Jelena. She is in 2nd or 3rd grade I think and has an incredible love of horses (for the time being).  They redid her room from Tinkerbell to horses and requested a quilt from yours truly. The colors in her room are lilac and light green, so I wanted to incorporate those into the quilt. The result will be a 3X3 grid with lime green sashing between blocks. The following blocks will be the corner pieces, all lilac. The center block will also be lilac with a black stallion with a blue ribbon (per Jelena's very specific request). The rest of the blocks will be 'scene' blocks with grass & sky as the background for different kinds of horses. Jelena asked for a mommy & baby horse, a white horse, a horse jumping, and a horse wearing a coat (among many other crazy ideas, but I picked those in a executive decision). Tonight I plan on tackling some of the horses, which I think will be a lot harder than these first ones I worked on.

Horse shoes - the dots are stitches. Hearts - I think I might add another color (dark purple?) in the middle of the big one. Flower - I love how this turned out, the pink fabric is kind of lustrous. It is from the Hannah Montana collection at Hobby Lobby. If Jelena knew this, she would love it even more. Finally, a prize winning blue ribbon. I think this one turned out really cute too.

Curt left me to do some recording in Michigan for the next week and a half or so. He recording a few new songs with an old friend. Then this weekend the band is playing at the Spring Hill Music Festival in Evart, MI. There are going to be lots of other bands there, including one of my favorite new artists, Phil Wickham. Also, Superchick and John Reuben, both old favorites. Curt knows the guys in Superchick, so hopefully he will be able to catch up with them; when we were in Nashville he saw a couple of them, but didn't get to talk much. After the festival the band is heading back to the studio to finish up the songs. I hope everything goes well, Curt has been wanting to lay down new music for quite some time. 

So while Curt is away I tend not to eat very well because I hate cooking for one. Hence my late lunch/early dinner of:

Strawberry oatmeal. I don't even like oatmeal, but I really don't like meals for single people. Sometime soon I will go to the store and get a cart-full of Ramen noodles and Hot Pockets. See, Ramen noodles just sound so darn good right now, I think I could eat a pack a night.

For now though, I should walk the Finnegan monster. Then back to the horsey quilt. 

New Project

I bought fabric today to get started on a horse quilt for my cousin Jelena. They just redid her room in horses, so my aunt Beth asked me to make something for her. My plan is to make a 9X9 grid of 20X20'' squares. Five of the squares will have different horses (Jelena told me exactly what she wants, but I hope I remember correctly). The other four squares (corners) will have a heart, a flower, a blue ribbon, and horse shoes. I will be doing these squares first because I hope they will be easiest. I'm going to applique the designs on plain colored blocks and I've never really done the satin stitch applique, so here goes nothing. 

Also, I'm no expert on drawing horses, I've never been much of a horse person myself. I found lots of pictures online that will hopefully help me along. I figure I can trace/free hand my way through five horses. Right? That's not too much, is it? Man, I better get started. 

I'm using the tutorial from Sew, Mama, Sew about applique. That makes it look pretty simple, I hope it really is that easy.