Another well paid employee

Hello people.  I am fuming and as usual, vent here.  I only had a few cards to mail and stopped at my post office to request 10 more Christmas stamps.  My carrier is paid $29.50 per hour plus $.50 per mile, per day, for her route.  I would assume the manager would be a higher rate.  I asked her for the Christmas stamps, she held up a green stamp with a tree on it.  I asked if she was sure and she said they are clueless as to the print (EID Greetings), but it is the Christmas tree stamp and the only one they have at that branch.  So onto my envelopes they go and into the bin.  I looked it up when I got home. It is shaped like, but not a Christmas tree - it's calligraphy with Islamic symbols. EID commemorates the two Islamic holidays, Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.  It is a Muslim stamp for a Muslim holiday, they do not believe Christ is the Son of God, they do not recognize or celebrate Christmas, and my post office is selling them to me as a Christmas tree stamp.  I am furious.  All my cards to my Catholic and Christian family and friends have a Muslim stamp.  Should I have known this?  I'm not Muslim!  Why would I know?  More importantly, why didn't she?  Another government employee that serves the public well.

 

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Jingle Bird

I stitched this on 32 count because I wanted it smaller, changed a few colors.  No interfacing, backed with two layers of linen in different neutral shades to get a variegated and fuller fringe.  The backing linens are coarse 25 count - I didn't want a fine thread fringe.  After pressing it with the iron's tip to separate, I got the ragged look that I wanted.

 

Originally with little bells that I removed - thought it was too much.

I pinned the three layers together and fringed the top linen to the size I liked, then stitched with matching thread on a very small zigzag setting, catching the end thread to prevent further raveling.

 

The stitching is barely visible.  I didn't want to hand stitch a decorative seam with colored floss.  Finished fringing the edges of the other two linen layers, stuffed, and sewed the bottom the same way.

 

Jingle Bird.  Over and out.

 

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Me again

Hey.  What's happening?  Forgot to show how I hang ornaments from wall baskets.  I had a few emails asking, but can't find them now.  Other computer maybe? 

It's simple - just insert a thin nail or straight pin with a head into the outer rim of the basket, straight down.  Keep stabbing until you find a spot, leave it up about 1/2" and hang your ornament.  Use a magnet to pull the pin out should it fall all the way in.

It works great for flat back baskets too.

 

Jingle Bird is almost finished and I am feeling better today.  Why?  I talked to my sister and she can barely speak.  She just can't get her breath so the sooner this is done the better.   80% get their breath back, 20% do not.  We're thinking positive, still anxious, but it has to be done.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and good wishes.

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Mary's house

Hello people.  Hope your weekend is off to a good start.  I ventured out for shopping and came home with too much.  I just can't pass up a good sale.  I abhor looking for clothing for myself and get what I need online, but there are two babies in the family and how can you pass up their little outfits?  The 6 month old is wearing a helmet because of complications during birth and I tried to find a little hat that would fit over it.  I think I did but I plan on knitting one too.  Why is it so difficult to find hats for infants and babies?  I found toddler and only a few fitted others, nothing cute.  Summer was even worse when I tried to find a brimmed hat for the other baby for sun protection.  Anyway.... I also had to get away from the house.  We had another incident with an arrogant belligerent hunter who would not leave and is hunting with others behind my house.  Forget the PA Game Commission.  I was told many years ago that they can't do anything unless they actually witness the person discharging a weapon at the game within 150 yards of my house.  I kid you not.  So they are back there, with houses on three sides, using high powered rifles, and I can't do a thing.  You can't expect police to walk through the woods in their dark clothing while idiots are shooting at anything that moves and it's the Game Commission that should be responsible for enforcing their regulations.  But just like anything else in PA that my tax dollars fund, they are useless and inept at their responsibility.  But they get a hell of a pension.  I didn't want to hear any shots fired so I left the house but they can still hunt until dark.

 

So here's Mary's house, and I don't have much more to complete this sampler.

Poor Mary, like many of us, had a hard time deciding on what color to paint her house.  I made a few changes too.  Whether I will continue or switch to Jingle Bird will be decided this evening.  If I finish either, I will post the photos, but that's all until after the surgery.  I am getting more and more anxious - just can't stop remembering the scene the last time she had a procedure.  Even her cataract surgery was a disaster and that seems to always happen.  I'm trying to stay away from taking a pill to help me sleep, and my doc is arguing with me that I need counseling because I want a few 0.5 Ativan!  I tried to explain that aging, upcoming retirement, finances, and all the crap that comes with mid 60's bothers me SOMETIME and to add the stress of what we've been going through with family and pet losses, I want a freaking pill!  Not every day, not for long, just sometimes when I get over anxious.  I am not going for counseling.  Our very young, too young, irresponsible mothers in my old office were pregnant, taking care of infants, and their docs gave them Xanax, Ativan, Valium and others.  I'm just an old lady with hot flashes and a bad attitude.  GIVE ME THE FREAKING PILLS!!!!  She prescribed 30 and I only take half most times, so I should be OK.  One week to go and she will be out of the woods if all goes well.  And so will the hunters as the season ends. 

So I will be back, hopefully with great news the end of next week.

Until then my stitching buds, take care of yourself.

 

Thanks for visiting.

 

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Favorites

 This year anyway.  Do you have favorites or does it change every year?

 

 

I started out thinking I wanted it simple.

 

 

And it grew from there.

 

 

And kept going.

 

By Sunday, it will all be changed or reduced back to simple.  When will I learn?

 

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Shop stop

Just had to show what I found at Apple Basket in Vienna Ohio.  It's on the way home from my injections and I rarely stop because it is more country style.  But I did today and am glad I did.  I got the last of each but the wood (resin?) lantern is being ordered again for the third time so the lady that I snatched it from will have to wait until they come in.  The large size is 16 x 16 inches and I like the impact rather than several smaller items.  They had sweet trees, more primitive, but not sparse, really nice 3 and 4 foot.  Very tempting. 

 

To M.H. - I have no antique samplers, they were all stitched by me from charts. 

 

I have to apologize for not answering all comments and reading blogs.  Have been busy and too distracted other than hit and miss now and then. (Distraction has cost me a few bucks too, since I forgot to use my $10 coupon at Kohl's, a $15 coupon at JCP, and the $5 coupon at Apple Basket.) While weaning myself off the old laptop and adapting to the new one, I discovered that gmail doesn't appear on both like my provider does.  Depending on which computer I open, the mail will download to it, but not the other.  And the new one is pretty strict in security, sending several to the Junk folder but I think I have it all fixed now. Anxiety will be taking over for the next week so this won't be the last apology. 

 

Until then, be good, stay safe, thanks for visiting.

 

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