The Great Pretenders

Most of us can spot liars, slackers, and fakes fairly quickly. It doesn't take long if you're observant. They say one thing and do the opposite. They always promise action but deliver nothing; take but never give. They pretend to be caring when they never go out of their way for anyone but themselves. They make excuses or blame others when they're caught in a lie. You know the ones I mean.

There's the guy who never calls, visits, or does anything for his parents, but carries a Bible everywhere and says he lives by its teachings;

Or the person who promises he will finish a project but always has a reason why it wasn't his fault it didn't get done;

And the woman whose house is a cluttered junk pile, but brags on social media about her organizational skills.

I don't have any use for those pretenders and try to minimize any contact with them. I just don't tolerate fools very well. They may have their reasons, but you don't have to accept them when you can clearly see how they operate. 

 

I prefer genuine people who quietly go about their business. Kind ones who happily do things for others without bragging. Folks who admit their faults and take responsibility for their actions. Kids who respect their elders and appreciate what has been given to them. The old curmudgeon who is authentic and consistently quirky. Honest, hard-working, ordinary people who don't take advantage of the generosity of others. 

 

I don't believe what you say...I believe what you DO. 

 

“You can't talk your way out of a situation 

you behaved yourself into.” 

~Stephen Covey

Refreshing Change: Sewing Room Update

Spring is here and I made good on my threat of moving furniture in the sewing room. I did it all by myself in an afternoon. I will admit to having felt slider feet on two tables and wheels on another. 

 

I put the sewing table back-to-back with the cutting table in the center of the room. I can walk all the way around with easy access to my wall mounted ironing board, design wall, and storage cabinets. This new island is directly under the ceiling fan/light for nearly perfect illumination. An Ott-Lite bulb in the swing arm fixture plus a small Ott-Lite lamp gives me more brightness at the sewing machine. 

  

My scrap basket organizer and two drawer units are tucked under the island, along with the serger, since I don't use it as often. A simple backless bar stool gives me a place to perch at the higher level cutting table. My desk and wicker chair now face a window beside the closet.

I really like this layout, plus moving things around provided an opportunity to clean and declutter. Things that don't belong somehow have a way of migrating into this room (I blame the cat), but I put them back where they belong. I have two large bags and a box of purged stuff in the car for donation, and I tossed some old magazines after cutting out a few dozen pages for my idea notebooks.

There's more organizing left, and I thought of several other storage ideas, but the room is more functional and less messy. It feels like a little retreat again, a refreshing place to escape, and it only took a day. I highly recommend moving furniture around and creating a new look for spring.

You never know what treasures you have, 

until you clean your room.

Cleaning is just putting stuff in less obvious places.

I can't clean my sewing room 

because I get distracted by the cool stuff I find.

Warm Irish Wishes

 

 These things I warmly wish to you:
Someone to love
Some work to do
A bit o' sun
A bit o' cheer
And a guardian angel always near.

I'm spending today outside in the sunshine.  Yesterday I had the windows open for a while, swept the back porch and did a little sittin' out there.  And, surely the fairies and leprechauns have planted notions in my head concerning a new layout for my sewing room.  There's definitely furniture moving in my immediate future.

Star Wars Wisdom

During last week's snow days, the mister and I enjoyed a movie marathon, complete with pizza, popcorn and beverages. We watched of all six Star Wars films, and I was reminded of a few favorite quotes.  They may be handy (and appropriate) to use in daily life. 

Enjoy, remember, and gain wisdom from the force.  

"Who's the more foolish, the fool?  Or the fool who follows him?" -- Obi-Wan Kenobi

“Your focus determines your reality.” – Qui-Gon Jinn

“I find your lack of faith disturbing.” - Darth Vader

“Do. Or do not. There is no try.” – Yoda

“Your feeble skills are no match for the power of the dark side.” – The Emperor

"Never tell me the odds." – Han Solo

“Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side, kid.” – Han Solo

“The ability to speak doesn't make you intelligent.” – Qui-Gon Jinn

“I have a very bad feeling about this” – everyone.

Running Like A Sewing Machine

I had just begun to sew when my Singer XL1000 started making a horrible noise. I called my resident handyman, who dropped everything to take her downstairs to his workbench for troubleshooting. Fortunately, I have a backup machine, my trusty old Singer Athena that I haven't used in several years. I pull her out of the closet, dust her off and, well, she's making an awful noise too!

OK, fine. My mama's basic Singer Simplicity is sitting under my sewing table. She will do for what I want to sew today. I set her up, threaded bobbins, and you guessed it...more growling noises! What in the world?

I check downstairs, where Jerold had my good machine apart on his bench. This will take a while, he says. So, I head back to the sewing room and start my own mission to fix the Simplicity. I found a maintenance manual online, got my tool kit and went to work. Next thing you know, I have this machine apart on my craft table. I had the back, sides, and top off; I oiled, dusted, changed needles, made some adjustments and put her back together. VOILA! She's humming right along now.

Me upstairs and him downstairs, both of us doing sewing machine repairs. Maybe we should have taped this for submission as a new reality show. The XL had a lot of lint jammed way down inside, which threw something out of alignment. After lots of tricky and fiddly adjustments, my man saved the day and fixed her. Athena had a loose wire on her circuit board, and unfortunately a cracked gear, which may eventually cause her demise.

Thankfully for now all are up and running like sewing machines should. I'll need to blow lint out of the XL after every project, and use my backup machines more often to keep their mechanisms lubricated. Any solution that requires more sewing is just fine with me.

The experience was challenging but extremely fulfilling. I'm lucky to have a husband who's willing and more than able to work on nearly anything. I'm thankful that I'm mechanically inclined and capable enough to fix a few items on my own. The down side to fixing them is that I missed a chance to buy a fancy new machine...

“If we all did the things we are capable of doing,

we would literally astound ourselves.” 

--Thomas Edison

“Never underestimate the power

of a woman with a sewing machine.” 

--Unknown