Shopping Up A Storm

re: Shopping Up A Storm

TravelBug1237 — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 18:12:02 GMT

Hungarian Paprika....OK great....!!!

re: Shopping Up A Storm

pat71896 — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:29:59 GMT

Just a quick comment about the chicken cordon blue. What the chef did not tell you is that you need to use "Hungarian Paprika." Paprika is a 'pepper' product and mostly has a slightly bitter bite. Hungarian paprika is more on the sweet side, not sweet, just not bitter. Hungarian peppers are known world wide as the best of the best.

Hungarian down (such as in a pillow or quilt) is also the best in the world. You can expect to pay twice as much for this down as other down, but you will find it to be incredibly soft and extra long lasting. It defines luxury in bedding products.

Pat, Hungarian Desent

re: Shopping Up A Storm

TravelBug1237 — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:02:36 GMT

"K" Kathy...I am SO sorry to hear about your devastating news of your 2 friends.

We'll get together another time. It will be great getting to meet you when the time is better.HUGS, hugs, hugs...( It's so sad to lose friends...I'm still sad 3 years later of the passing of one of my college roomates.):( I'll be thinking of you!! Take care and have a VERY safe trip....in more than 1 direction it sounds.

===

SunraiPat....Yep,I have a new-ish 'energy efficient" w/d.

OH...you could be SOOOOO right on this about the machine and the wrinkles!!! YES....they were TIED IN KNOTS!!! Yes, exactly. They were a MESS and I'd never seen anything quite like it. THANKS for your input!!!!

(I just could NOT believe how they looked and STILL look after SO much labor!!!) To be honest, one couldn't ever PAY ME ENOUGH to iron OVER and OVER and OVER again

Thanks too for the thumbs up on the

reality that they may NEVER looked completely ironed. ( I recently washed a new pair of 100% cotton seersucked and they look horrible too!!!) I tried pressing those also and just decided....I'm buying 'blends' from now on.

My heart goes out to ALL the ladies who use to have to iron wrinkles out on a regular basis.....NO WONDER that had a hand towel embroidered saying

Monday washing, .Tuesday IRONING.......Good grief...it was no exageration!!!

It took all day. ( IF anyone else has IRONING stories...I would LOVE to hear about them.....current or in the 'olden days!" Really, I mean it...I'd love to hear about it.

I REALLY don't want to be spending moolah this month ( or year...:):):) ) on another washer and dryer. Not only do I agree with your washer/dryer going back to the "old-fashioned kind" I also think it can apply to OLD 'NON- computerized automobiles!!!! ( We still have one sputtering.....:)

Oh and as far as 'how many are coming for sure'...Well either way will be fine, but the 12th park you'd be in is REALLY REALLY close to the land w/the garage and just 5 miniutes to the beach house. You could walk to the land where people can camp. ( It's like 1/2 block from the big RV park) I'd go ahead and make reservations for 1-2 weeks if they'll let you!!! We're still trying to solidify the dates....but I have gotten private e-mails telling me that they are trying to co-ordinate Seaside with the Sister's Quilt show about 3+ hours from Portland. Some REALLY want to come the 1st week of July...which is fine....it's just SUPER crowded then because of the fireworks in Seaside each year.

I'm really flexible and can hardly wait to have you all come!!! :)

I'm sooooo glad your friend is planning to come too. Seaside is a very fun place and lots to see and enjoy!!! I'm excited!!!

re: Shopping Up A Storm

sunrai — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 19:32:12 GMT

Cathy - about those wrinkled towels - do you have one of those machines that don't have a center post, such as the Maytag Neptune? If so, that may be the problem.

I finally had to replace my 30+ year old Lady Kenmore and wanted to have a "green" machine. The Neptune is supposed to use less water and less energy, etc. I paid BIG bucks for it, and it is the WORST machine I ever had. It wrinkles everything so much that I have to use the low spin cycle and that means I lose the efficiency of the dryer because the clothes aren't spun as dry as the high spin would be. It also tangles my clothes so much that I can barely get them apart - literaly they are tied in knots. The wrinkles can never be ironed, steamed, whatever, out of the clothes.

I've heard other sewers say the same thing when they prewash fabric. I'm about ready to dump my machine and get a new "old-fashioned" one. Sometimes newer isn't better!!

I just told another new embroidery friend about the planned get-together next summer, and she's on board to come also! It should be a great gathering!

I don'tr know how many people you've got confirmations from, but if your place gets too full, let us know. We can camp at the Thousand Trails campground and leave space for others that don't have that as an option. I want whatever makes it work for all of us!!

Pat (SunRai)

re: Shopping Up A Storm

kkos — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 17:39:51 GMT

Cathy,

I won't be able to attend the meeting next week. I received devastating news regarding two dear friends, both in Oregon but each on different ends of the State. I need to deal with this first....I'll keep in touch or just introduce myself if I see you at the sewing store again. Keep sewing.....don't give up....I'll be back (as Arnold says)....KinO ( the other Kathy n Oregon)

re: Shopping Up A Storm

TravelBug1237 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 15:59:36 GMT

HH Ann...

What a pleasant surprise to read your note to me!!! I'm sorry though that you got tired!!! That's sure not my intent...just know for you and Greg can "un-blog me" at anytime and it will be OK. It's been quite an experience from winning the machine 'till now!!!

I am glad to know you enjoy it anyway!

Yep, I did get A LOT of shopping in before the cars went kaflooey....& continue to go kaflooey...:(

So, you think I am getting so smart about ME ( & fast ) no less.??!! Well, thank you for that....Oh Brother ... (PE700) :):):) ..I am glad someone thinks so!!!

I am still totally in awe to know YOU DIGITIZED those darling darling designs!!!!

Well take care...Take a nap on me....well not really ON me, but you know what I mean....and I hope to see you next year at a 2nd ATG Community Circle! :) or here in Oregon!!!

re: Shopping Up A Storm

AnnTheGran — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 05:27:50 GMT

Oh, Cathy! I get tired just reading your blog, but I do enjoy it so! I'm sure glad you got your ME shopping in before getting the bad news about the car repair. And you're getting so smart about ME so FAST!

re: Shopping Up A Storm

TravelBug1237 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 23:33:19 GMT

HH ME'ers....

Just got back from a luncheon/lecture that my girlfriend invited me to & ...had the best chicken cordon blue in my life! Yum....& the secret ingredient was paprika!!!!!...The chef was willing to share that!!! Also our table had a really sweet server...She really went the extra mile!!!

(I really did not want to go out in this heat, but we had planned this a couple of weeks ago)....Also my car I just got out of the repair shop - has to go back in!!! How can this be?????

I am trying to have a stiff upper lip here folks!!! ...but they're starting to wobble fast. I just got my Visa paid off!!!...now they say it's my transmission!!! Oh dear....the electrical cost over $1,500....Does anyone know how much the transmission in a Miata can cost???

I did have one really nice thing happen today though...I won the door prize! It's a book by the author who did the presentation. OK...now that you have my daily update....back to MEing!!!

Thanks for letting me get car woes out though. :) It helps....(E's at the station.)

Kimberly51.....SOOO sweet....

OH and THANKS A MILLION for the 270D tip!!! E and I ran out of time

yesterday so we didn't get it going or even out of the box for that matter....but THANKS so much for giving me the thumbs up on USING BOBBIN THREAD....sounds like doing lace on that machine is not an option.

I am sure I will be asking you a gazillion questions about it before it's over if that's ok with you. I'm so happy you found a machine that you are happy with!!!

I don't know if I shared with you or not that for Christmas last year I got a Futura350. It never got out of the box ( or store ) because I wanted lessons 1st. Since the 350 was a brand new model no one was fully trained on it yet.....I called every few weeks to see if the gal had been trained but she wasn't sooo the mgr was really really nice and gave me a full refund on it just before I left for Orlando for Ann's Community Circle last April.

I'm so glad to hear yours is working for you!!!! :):) Be sure to feel free to

send in photos of your projects/gifts etc!!! We'd love to see it.

Hmmm the thread cassett on the 270....OK I will really pay attention to that when we get to it. It's really nice to hear what's good and what I need to be careful of. Thanks Kimberly.

Yesterday E and I spent, I bet at least an hour, trying to iron hand towels. (I bought several solid rainbow colors of them....enough for one each family member and friends for Christmas gifts.)

I don't know WHAT I did wrong, but surely there is an easier way to do this!!! ( I had already washed all the towels a couple of weeks earlier ( to remove the sizing) in a recommended laundry soap from the health food section of a major grocery chain.I put them in the dryer and they came out looking like mechanic's cleaning cloths!!! I was horrified!!! (They are the 100% cotton towels that also were recommended.) Also, they were terribly terribly wrinkled.

I went over to my new ME friend Lynn ( a couple of weeks ago after having just washed and dried them) who was duly shocked too and well she tried to be very encouraging...but we ended up not using a one of them that day. She gave me one of HER towels for an upcoming birthday gift to another friend. (It looked really nice and she used her Brother Innovis machine. (She got the SAME towels at the SAME store!!!? ) Sigh.....

So we are thinking it may have been the detergent....??? Anyway...E and I did not get to ME yesterday as HE had wanted!!! :):) because we could NOT iron the wrinkles out!!!!!

We sprayed and sprayed and sprayed water & pressed....and it still did NOT look good. I finally just re wet them (really wet) one by one...then E used the small iron 1st to try and get the towels flat enough to put into my brand new steam press iron. I can tell you right now....that I am NOT going to want to iron like this - so my career in machine embroidery may be limited to 'lace', or only use a fabric that does NOT wrinkle much - if at all. I thought cotton kitchen towels were a BASIC 1st project and would be easy. ( E and I did do a successful 'similar type towel' for a 'lesson' though at the sewing center, but they were not washed before hand for that particular lesson.) They look really crisp and neat as a pin. :) and we loved them and my next blog is on them.

I guess I could have just disregarded everything I have heard about 'getting rid of the sizing' and just embroidered on the new towels & they would have looked good...well until they were washed.

SO if you have any ideas/tips on how to SUCCESSFULLY wash and iron 100% cotton hand towels...please let me know. THANKS!!!

Well folks, I'm calling it a night. Will check back with you tomorrow.

I hope at least SOME of you are embroidery tonight!!!! :)

I want to hear success stories!!! :):):) I need a little encouragement right now with these towels....Ya know, the thought just hit me...I could just embroider a 'garden snail' or worm and then they would make great garden sink towels.....Yes...that would work!! All is not lost...yeah! :) Now to get those designs downloaded into Cat Express...that will be the next challenge...but I will keep plugging away here!!! This WILL all come together sometime!!!!

I'm just in molasses so to speak for right now, but I know there's living proof of it ( successful embroidery and the joy it brings) out there when I hear from you- and your encouraging words - and what YOU have already done!!! Thanks!!!

OK I feel better...

Hugs

re: Shopping Up A Storm

Kimberly51 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 21:21:56 GMT

That beautiful baby is my oldest Granson, he turned 4 last week. His younger brother looks just like him. Heartbreakers of tomorrow.

re: Shopping Up A Storm

pat71896 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:43:56 GMT

Cathy-I too was fortunate to have a wonderful Uncle whose name was Julius. He always was so kind and gentle to everyone he met. I miss him and know he is smiling at me right now.

Kimberly51-That is one beautiful baby! Is she married yet? LOL. Singer and so many of the 'granddaddy's' of yesterday have had their hands full keeping up. Some have done so, but others have not fared so well.

I think of the old phone company and the new phone companies. The old phone company is burdened with old items, inventory and properties that are no longer useful. The new phone companies are not so labored with such items. I am reminded of a story I once read about a third-world country that had few if any 'phones' until cell phones came upon the scene. Then that country had cell phones everywhere in a short time.

All of these things drive us with new and fun gadgets. Singer may want to wipe the screen clear and start from the beginning. That can be a really successful and mind clearing event.

Pat

re: Shopping Up A Storm

Kimberly51 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 18:41:53 GMT

Opps, I know Singer is not the same as it was.

re: Shopping Up A Storm

Kimberly51 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 17:41:52 GMT

Cathy,

Good Luck with your new machine. My first machine was a Brother 270D. Mine was very temperamental and I had to learn quickly what to do and what not to do. My suggestion is only use bobbin thread in the bobbin, be patient and take the time to learn your machine. The embroidery part of my machine cause me a lot of frustration. The sewing part of my machine worked great, no complaints. Some of the features I really liked, once I got used to it was the thread cassette. I also liked the thread trimmer and the Disney designs. A lot of my problems at first, were operator error, but not all of them.

It didn’t take me long to realize that it wasn’t the machine for me. It wasn’t going to do what I wanted to do and had limitations I wasn’t willing to live with. I had waited too long to get an embroidery machine and I wasn’t going to happy until I got what I really wanted. As a second machine it would probably work fine, but I didn’t have the time or space for it. I considered the Brother PE700, but instead, I when with the machine I had originally wanted, a Singer Futura 250. I wanted a machine that could do embroidery and sewing, I wanted to be able to hook it up to my computer and I wanted the larger hoop. I know Singer it’s the same as it was, but I am very happy with this machine. I have another Singer sewing machine; it’s a Slant o Matic made in the 60’s. It was my Mother’s sewing machine and the one I actually learned to sew on. For general sewing, it still does a great job after all these years.

Enjoy the adventure!

re: Shopping Up A Storm

TravelBug1237 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 15:09:36 GMT

HH Greg,

Thanks for your input. Yes for me, I surely like to do business where I feel comfortable ( & just the opposite if I don't!!!!!) .,,,,,Also, if the key words ap......' ON SALE" appear - then that is music to my ears!!! :):):) & CaChing CaChing That's my hook Greg in a nutshell....well that and 'free shipping'. :)

There are very few businesses that I won't go back to, but once in awhile that is the case - as what happened locally, (& I only shared one example of what happened there- there was more to get me so totally ticked off) ....but if some one or some place treats me with respect & values me as I do them..... then I am a friend for a very long time, and in the case of a business I will spend freely there for years to come.

My grandpa once told me ( who was wealthy), "Cathy if you can count 5 true friends throughout your life...you will be rich. " I have never forgotten that!

(He was SO loved and he was "rich' in the way it was important to him....and his monetary wealth never got in the way of being SO kind, gentle and loving to every single person he met. He had learned to speak 14 languages over the years (& my grandmother 7). ( They were Norwegian immigrants but lived in different parts of the world when he worked for Standard Oil in Aruba and mining companies on the border of Mexico when he was a very young man.)

One of the most unusual things he did, would be to go down town to skid row to a bar in order to "practice his Spanish" .(...back in those days that was NOT at all a common occurance! He would offer to buy drinks to the migrant workers so he could practice his Spanish!!!!) He'd borrow a pair of jeans from my dad and go down there.

( For those of you who may not be following this completely...in an earlier blog that had to be cut down size wise...I lived with my grandparents for most of my 1st 10 years of life.) Grandpa Holtane was my favorite mortal person on earth.

(I did have the opportunity to visit with several relatives over the years and spent one summer in Norway doing genealogical research....I found 500 relatives!!!) I did a family tree in honor of him and gave a copy of it to his

surviving daughter, my Aunt who is still alive.

Anyway, I do have my '5' but would like to be more like him and have that special gift of making everyone feel special and to know that there is 'no competion here' so to speak...so there is no need for anything but positive

supportive comments etc. and I for one hope that I did not hurt any ones feelings even in the slightest.

Hugs,

re: Shopping Up A Storm

TravelBug1237 — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 14:32:03 GMT

Kkos..

That is SO great you are going to stay and visit on the 14th!!! I'm REALLY looking forward to meeting you personally!!!!

As far as the 8th goes, that came from another blogger advertising her next launch. Sorry it confused you...confuses me too to be honest, so Pat please stop doing that!! :):)!!! THANKS!!!

(Greg has one more of my blogs in the hopper....but he hasn't told me when that is coming out, but probably later in the month.)

See you soon!!!

PS How about this heat!!!!?????

re: Shopping Up A Storm

kkos — Tue, 05 Aug 2008 03:55:47 GMT

Cathy (CinO),

I will stay and visit with everyone on the 14th....thank you.

I have to tell you...picking the horse because it has good legs.....is a great way to pick a winner...my Mike does it all the time. If a horse doesn't have good legs what will it run on. Bravo glad you won.

And I must agree with Beamishboy, I think they both compliment each other...you have to have a physical store to take your machine when it goes belly-up...but I think it's more fun to check the websites some are better then others and ATG is one of the best.

Looking forward to your next blog on the 8th...."K"inO