I am very DISAPPOINTED!

When I think "I am very disappointed", I think of Gary Oldman in The Fifth Element. There was just a tone of voice and look in his eye that spoke disappointment very clear. Course, he was trying to destroy the world and I'm just trying to get through the holidays.

Okay, I'm going to tell a bunch of stuff I'm not disappointed about, but let's start with the disappointing stuff first.

One. I finished the holiday quilt. It's hanging on the wall. Took some fab pics last night, using the lights from the holiday tree. And, I forgot to upload them. So much for that. A post for another day, as they say.

Two. I've spent $25 on thimbles in the last week and I still don't have one that fits. Oh, sure, I took the measurement of my finger, using both the sizing tool from the internet and a flexible tape measure, and after checking the size, I bought two thimbles that should have fit. One came in last week. Did it fit? Of course not. It's like picking a pattern for a shirt. No matter how much I study the dimensions on the back of the package, the shirt is always either too big or too small. Rats! Anyway, with the thimble that came in the mail last week was a freebie that has a dent in the side. That one fits Sydney perfect, so I guess it's no great loss. And, I'll resell the two I've bought. But, apparently, I need like a size 20 and I can't find one that size. I've found an 18, but it's in England...we do what we have to do. Another post for another day is all those thimbles, lined up in a row. Taunting me for my man sized sewing fingers.

Three. I bought the cutest little sewing kit, shaped like the bonnets my Grandmother used to wear to work in the garden. And, the seller lost it before she shipped...or, she got a better price from someone else. I'll never know. But, it was cute as heck and I am disappointed. Course, I was going to take it apart and make a pattern and give them away and then put it back together again.

Okay, so what went right since last Thursday?

Well, I have more vacation time saved up than Santa Claus, so I took Friday off and finished the quilt and cleaned up the sewing room and went shopping. I knocked out all of Sydney's holiday shopping. YEAH!! She goes everywhere with us when we shop and we needed some time to get out without her and without raising suspicions. She wanted things in zebra prints. I did not buy everything that was available in a zebra print. But, I did buy every third thing. There are two boxes of just zebra print everything; shoes, bags, boxes, shower curtain, picture frame, you name it, she's getting it. Probably the easiest holiday shopping I've ever done. I just walked through stores and found things that were black and white and tossed them into my cart.

Friday night we had leftovers, so that was a good thing. Shop all day and warm up dinner. Doesn't get much better than that.

Saturday morning, we left early to go antiquing. We hit all our favorite places. I tried on thimbles everywhere we went, trying to find a big un'. I even sat in the floor and tried on every thimble on a rack. No luck. But, I did find quite a few other sewing related vintage things that I can't remember...not remembering is going to make a more surprising cmas morn, so I'm not trying to remember very hard. And, I knocked out some of Rob's shopping. Imagine Sydney's disappointment when I was shoulder deep in a box of sewing supplies and called yahoo! and she came running to see my wonderful find...three vintage bobbins that fit Ken Moore. Hey, it was exciting for me.

Our fave bargain was a gently used pair of cowboy boots in Rob's size for $15. We wouldn't normally buy used shoes...don't ask me why because all my clothes come from Goodwill. But, there's just something about used shoes that kinda grosses me out a bit. He came home and checked the number online and they are $130 new. So, he got those and he's getting another pair (new) for cmas. I can say that here because they were only available at a store near his office, which is 30 miles from home, so I sent him to pick them up on Friday. Last pair in town. He already knows he's getting them...wrapping is a formality.

Saturday night, we had pizza. Shopping all day and pizza for supper. Doesn't get much better than that...unless there are leftovers to warm up.

On Sunday, I needed rest. So, I cleaned up all the piles of clothes that were everywhere. Spring and Autumn in Texas are interesting times. Long pants and a sweater in the morning, but by the afternoon, it's shorts and t-shirts and after sundown, we're back to coats and quilts in front of the fire. Consequently, there were a lot of clothes that I had worn for a couple of hours and then piled. After I hung all my jackets, I realized we don't have enough hangers for all our clothes. Too bad. Donate something. Or fold it.

Okay, so here's something I did that was wierd. I don't know, but I may be the only person that would do this. When I was cleaning up the sewing room, I had pin cushions and scissors and needles and rippers and brushes all over the place. But, I can never find the right scissors or needles or ripper. So I pulled everything out, thought about how I use it and then put it all in sets of tools, one set for each of the machines I have set up, and one set for each of my applique projects. One pair of scissors, one ripper, one stilletto, one pin cushion, one pencil, one ruler; a set. And, the rest went into an extra supplies drawer that I'll be able to go to when I set my scissors down someplace unexpected, otherwise known as tomorrow.

Anybody ever had sugarplums? Look up the recipe. FANTASTIC!!! Our neighbor makes them every year and this year, they're going out of town, so I gave it a try. Loving them. I ate a couple yesterday and they aren't even rolled in sugar yet. No bake. They're just dried fruit, nuts and spices and I added a bit of honey. Reminds me of my Mama's fruitcake cookies. Visions of sugarplums dance in my head.

Friday, Sydney went carolling with the school choir. They went to three nursing homes. The first was an alzheimer's home, the second an old folks home and the third an assisted living facility. I was so impressed that she recognized the three different levels of care that people needed and didn't just lump all old people in together. Gives me hope that she'll be able to pick the right place to put me in my dotage.

Okay, that's the highlights. Believe it or not, I was going for funny. Except my description doesn't sound nearly as much fun as my weekend was. Everybody have a great Monday. Lane