People like me

Hello all.  I have a few new products for kitchens I want to tell you about.  First though, I need to make mention of the Social Security comment in my prior post.  I have no problem with people needing help and receiving it.  I worked in an OB/GYN clinic for 10 years and know how our patients cheated the disability system, which is where I have a problem. I didn't mean to get into social issues, just to tell you how cranky I get.  My biggest gripe is government employees that do nothing yet I still pay their pensions.  Like my state's idiots that didn't lose their job over the horror chamber clinic of Dr. Gosnell under their watch, and the media barely mentioned.  But I never brought that up and have no intention to.

On to the kitchen.  If you have cabinets that you would like to paint but don't want the work involved with sanding or priming, I found a product at my Benjamin Moore dealer called Insl-X Cabinet Coat.  You can read about their products here. Satin finish, comes in white or can be tinted, no sanding, no priming.  Voilà.  The other new product is a counter top material called Dekton that I found at Home Depot.  L.O.V.E. 

 Almost a matte finish, some kind of compressed rock, extremely durable, looks a little like soapstone without the veins, but more like slate.  Another looks like cement.  Which leads me to my title - people like me.  When I was browsing (during another paint sample run) she asked if I needed help and I inquired about soapstone samples.  Once again, I got the speech about how wrong I am to want it.  This time, I was ready.  I went on and on about the antibacterial quality, the superior stain resistance, the matching sink, the ease of maintenance.  She shot back with "people like you" think you know about it.  People like you don't want to be bothered with sealing granite which is not a big deal.  People like you want the look but don't want to do any work to keep it nice.  People like you should get Dekton.  People like me just might smack the crap out of you buy this product.  But I got all warm and fuzzy because now I know there ARE people like me out there!  There has to be.  She said it at least ten times!  

That's it.  Just thought those of you wanting to change your kitchen with paint might consider this product.  He said after cleaning with a degreaser, just slap it on.  Choosing a color would be the only problem.  Which I am planning on doing this afternoon.

Have a great day!

 

 

Put it on a t-shirt

I don't play well with others.  That's what my shirt should read.  The older I get, the more this is true.  Is it just me?  Do you get so frustrated with inconsiderate people in your way, taking their time because they have nothing to do that you want to shove them out of the way?  Teen moms screaming obscenities while getting their fake nails done because their children need attention?  Attitudes that show obvious disdain towards others not like them?   Young people using grandma's handicap placard in the parking lots?  The Social Security office being filled with healthy people under thirty, their kids, and the fathers of those kids?  OK.  Obviously not what I originally wanted to post about.  But why do situations bother me now that never did?  Do we get mean as we age?  Or does our tolerance fade?  I don't know. I guess my generation was raised on accountability, responsibility, and manners.  I think about how my parents gave up new clothes or shoes, no dinners out, sacrificed for their kids.   Had respect and courtesy in public for a stranger, friend, or foe.  Moving on.

I don't play well with others.  I've never participated in a stitch along, mostly because I don't like commitments.  Many of you will be in the BBD sampler group and once again, I'm not.  I plan on following the chart and completing this without checking on others' progress.  If I see stitching from a participant on a linen I like more, with colors I like more, well, there 'ya go.  Doubts, hesitation, another start?  You know how many times this would happen?  I do like the fabric and colors I chose, but already wish the count was different.  I don't need to be confused more.  When mine is complete, I will check out everyone's work.  The four sided stitch is fuzzy with the wool and I like it. Maybe anything other than 28 count would not show as well.  As for the stitch, it takes a while to complete a letter.  And of course, I don't follow the stitch diagram, I just come up and go down where I want.  It's much easier to be visual than trying to remember correct stitch placement when others things are floating around in my head.  Hopefully, they will land soon.

My brother is on his way over to pick up what's left of my broken gold jewelry to cash out.  Just a few charms left, and this.  My original engagement ring was set high and broken in the proof machine at the bank 40 years ago.  This was my second setting.  It's 18K, doesn't even fit my little finger, and although beautiful, not me.  So I think I will have him remove the diamond and cash the gold.  Wait.  Maybe not.  No.  I have no use for it, haven't worn it in years, and it will never fit again.  Wait.  Damn.  ????  See what I go through?  How the hell can I pick a paint color?

 

He just phoned and will be here shortly.  Decision time.  And I better throw the mess into another room,  He's a neat freak and has palpitations when he enters the construction zone.

Thanks for visiting!

The final linen

Good morning to you.  How's the weekend going?  My furnace is still running day and night.  The warm up is coming the end of this week, so they say.  We've been working on the cabinet fixes and took a chance on correcting the legs - it worked.   Lots of sanding and sealing on the insides and tomorrow I will purchase the primer, or three more paint samples. 

Several of you asked if the Blackbird Chart was posted and you missed out.  Nope.  Once I see the design of the A, the rest of the letters are easy.  In fact, I usually just continue stitching letters without checking chart on most pieces, unless the spacing between is inconsistent.  So it wasn't hard to get a start, and if the chart has something different, that's OK too.

 I jumped the gun because I haven't been stitching and the longer I am not, the harder it is to start.  This was easy because I love it and the colors are simple.  It looks to be pretty worn, and in the end I think I will cut and remove the threads to be more like their antique piece.  So far- 3860, 3722, 3022, and antique gold wool. I chose 28 count natural because I sometimes have problems with wool on higher counts, but now wish it was 30.  I just noticed in the photo that I missed a stitch in the border. You can also see my cross over threads - lots of muslin snips will be on this back!

It started as apricot from this bunch of Paternayan from old needlepoint.  This really took a lot of mixing dye colors but I finally got the antique shade I was hoping for.   Should I have used the deep purple instead of 3860 DMC?  Too late.  I'm hoping this is enough of the gold to work through the alphabet and I think it will be.   Will I start again on another linen?  No.  The Sea Glass was fabulous with these colors, but I was afraid the wool threads would start shredding when pulled through the coarse fabric.  Maybe not - but this is all I dyed and I didn't want to take the chance.  I may work on it more this evening but that depends on how sore my arthritic right hand is after more sanding.  At least I have something to work on that I'm excited about.   Too many other projects going on and that can create a slump that is hard to crawl out of.

 

Enjoy your Sunday!

Thanks for visiting.

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BBD stitch-along

Good morning.  Before running out the door, I had to pull a few things together after seeing Blackbird Design's stitch-along post here.  (Photo from their blog.)

 

Love this little sampler.  I pulled a piece of R&R's Sea Glass thinking these colors would be perfect on it.  Couldn't wait for them to release more details and wanted to start on linen choice. I need to change the gold to 3829 - again - and maybe even switch to a very dark unbleached ground.  Or lighter with a darker gray for the eyelet section. Or not.  See?  I hate having to start something new. 

Colors, sizes, background, one thread or two - AWK!  Having a family of few, and not a stitcher in sight, I won't be passing it to other members as they suggested.  Just me.  The lone stitcher.  Who can't decide on 30 Sea Glass or 35 Mink. Lambswool 40?  Who may do it all!  Who has to get out the door for errands. 

 

I'm not the only one that gets the evil eye from this tiny princess.  She chased Squeak away shortly after this was snapped.  Old man Bud is tired of fighting and is sleeping sitting up.  He does that a lot.  We were watching tv one evening and he just fell over!

 

 

Enjoy your weekend!  Stay safe.

Thanks for stopping by.

Winner

Good evening all.  Random.org scrambled every comment entry and seven email entries, and then generated number 49, which was assigned to Annmarie.  Hello Annmarie!  You're no-reply so I can't notify you other than this post.  Please send your address, country, and planet along with your choice of design.  Thanks to everyone for participating.  I will probably offer another pear at some time and I may just keep my list of entries from this post and have a surprise notice of a winner when I get bored.

Having a little relapse tonight but will start going through charts before bedtime.  I think Eliza has linen and threads at the ready so starting her would be the easiest.  But where is she?  I can put it aside if I change my mind and really do not feel like going through all the linen colors, especially trying to find the right cut.  I still hate cutting into a large piece and will search until I find one that is close, even if I'd prefer the color of the larger piece.  I am so weird.  But I make everyone else feel normal.  Nothing boosts the spirit like knowing there is someone more peculiar than you.

Thanks for participating again!

Knots - stitching & stomach

Good morning.  I'm in the middle of a dark and windy rainstorm, trying to catch up on blogs.  The cats came in to eat like they were shot out of a cannon.  Well they're finished, and I can't get them back out. Under the hutch, the chair, anywhere to hide.  Now I'm stuck at home until they're out.  I just came from Carol's Stitching Dreams blog and she mentioned colonial knots with a link to an instructional video.  You can't beat Mary Corbet's Needle 'n Thread for detailed videos on almost any stitch.  I couldn't remember the difference between Colonial and French knots and wondered which of those are my method.  French.  I've never had a problem but will give the Colonial a try.  Mary's photos of her work using both methods makes me want to knot all day.  Love the look. 

 

 

 

The Colonial knot video is here 

 

 

 

and the French is here. 

Both photos are from her site.

Oh boy.  I just heard the rush seat chair fall.  The boys are roughhousing again.  When I visited Agway for squirrel corn yesterday, the handsome orange tabby with the wide face, so calm and sweet, was still living in the small cage.  No one has adopted any of the adults for a long time.  This tabby is such a handsome well mannered gentlemen.  I spend as much time as I can trying to stroke them through the cages.

 

If you're sick of reading about the damn cabinets, go away now.

As for the cupboards, they are well constructed, but there are a few problems.  I helped him carry them in and immediately saw the leg (bracket - whatever) problem.  He rabbeted in another piece of 7/8" thick wood - I don't know why.  He's never seen this style and I guess he didn't look closely at the drawings.  I can't even add vertical 3/4" slats to fill that area because his wood is thick and it should certainly not be down to the leg bottom.  So we will try to carefully cut it off, but I seriously doubt it will end up straight and smooth.  I am not having him transport these large pieces in his open bed truck again with three days of rain scheduled.  If we fail, we will cut the legs off. 

The drawing specifically stated a fixed shelf in the middle of the two smaller cabinets on the end.  There is none. The center stile on which the 18" doors close, is missing on both pieces.  My heart really sank when I saw this.  He said the doors are butt doors.  NO THEY ARE NOT!!!!  There is no center overlay on any of them and the center stile is on the drawing.  I got out the tape and measured, realized the opening was too large for the doors and he had forgot to install the stile.  Whew.  They can be added.  Now for the final disappointment. 

 His method is to recess the back in 3/8" instead of flush, and adding this 3/4" blocking to the bottom shelf in addition to the thickness of the plywood back = my dishes don't fit.  I can use a higher shelf but I've always stored them on the bottom.  Even then, they just fit because my doors are partially inset.  So. I'm not as upset as I should be because I've been disgusted for so long.  Having to reach up to get my dishes is the thing that bothers me most.   The heaviest and largest items should be on the fixed bottom shelf, not above.  Whatever.  I'm done.  The next time you see them they will be painted and on the wall, and the kitchen changes will end there.  I can't do this any longer.

If you made it this far, thanks for listening to me whine.  I wonder if my husband prefers that over shouting.  Dare I ask?

Enjoy your day!