Julie's Rockin' Eve

It was a Party at the Patched Works! 20 ladies spent the evening quilting away. We had a blast and I hope we're able to do it again next year!!

2008 New Years Eve

I finished piecing my last four Paper Pieced Christmas Ornaments. Now I'll have to get all 24 layered up and begin binding them.

I earned 448 points for finishing the piecing on these ornaments. Here's how: 14 pieces added to each of 4 blocks = 56 pieces, 2 points per piece = 112. Multiplied by 4 for Holiday Project.

I also began working on a Diamond Log Cabin wallhanging but I don't have a picture to show for the work I did. I took one but I don't know where it went. I sewed 6 rounds on 24 diamonds. That gained me another 288 points.

Happy New Year everyone! May your points be pointy in 2009!!

Waun-A-Quilt 2009

It's time for another competition. Jill and I have put in a lot of hours to bring to you this new competition. This will be mainly points based instead of time based. Points will be calculated based on different tasks. You can view our points list HERE. In a day or two we will put up a spreadsheet through google docs for everyone participating to track their totals in. Currently our sheet is still a work in progress. Most of it is hammered out but we've already found a few things that we were missing. It's going to be fun ladies!!!

So what's with the name Waun-a-quilt? Well, when Jill visited in October and we went on our shop hop, we passed a bowling ally called Waun-a-bowl in Waunakee, WI. Ever since then everything is Waun-a-do this or that. Waun-a-quilt just seemed like the perfect name for our competition.

So take a look, gear up and get ready for this awesme challenge! Jill and I are going head to head but please, please, please join in on the fun!!!

Competition runs from 5pm on 12/31/2008 through midnight on 1/31/2009.

Also coming will be a badge to add to your sidebar if you choose to participate.

Name the episode

I think the only way to get through this is to laugh at how ridiculous the whole situation is.

I still need to deem a winner from the Festivus airing of grievances but since I really could use a good laugh today, bust out your thinking caps and name the Jerry Springer episode that my Dad's family belongs on.

Cre8tivity here is key!! There might have to be multiple prize winners because I really need to laugh.

I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried...

Well it turns out I called it right and I'm not happy about it. I'm not sure why I let my Dad upset me so but he makes me soooo damn mad.

My Dad calls me tonight around 5pm...to tell me when the funeral is.

Me: Wait, back up, I didn't know that he died, when did he die?
Dad: On Saturday
Me: He died on Saturday and you're first calling me now on MONDAY?
Dad: I called you.
Me: You called me to say they were removing the vent that I didn't know he was on to begin with.
Dad: No, I called you to say he died.
Me: No, you called me to tell me they were removing the vent and gave me Ryan's cell phone number in case I wanted to meet up with them at the Hospital to say goodbye. You didn't call me between then and now.
Dad: I did call you.
Me: Dad, you didn't.
Dad: I guess I forgot.

(In the background I hear Crazy Wife yelling at him that he most certainly did call me even LISTING OUT THE TIME OF SUPPOSED PHONE CALL and who he spoke to before and after yet it never occurred.)

Me: Dad, can you tell her to shut her mouth for once? You did NOT call me.
Dad: Yeah you're right. Now that I think about it, I didn't call.


Dad: So the funeral is on Saturday. The funeral home needs to know what car you're driving for the processional.
Me: What?
Dad: You can ride with us.
Me: Really? You really think I want to get into a car with her? It's not important where I drive or who I drive with when no one can even call me to tell me my Grandpa died. I guess it's not like I'm part of the family or anything, it doesn't matter where I drive.

We get off the phone with me telling him I'll just get whatever information I need to know from the obituary. I have a complete and total meltdown. A conversation with my Mom that I'm sure she couldn't understand a word coming out of my mouth because she asked to talk to Mike. When I finally settled down, Jill called me to cheer me up and in only a way that a Jill can. I'm guessing my Mom called or emailed her and asked her to call me because it was quite erie otherwise that she knew precisely when to call. We talked about boogers and stuff. (Just keeping it real here)

I took some Excedrin and took a nap because by now I was mentally exhausted and my head was starting to pound and know that I get the worst migraines after stuff like this.

Part of me thinks to not even go to the funeral but then if I don't they'll all be able to use me as the scapegoat. The horrible grandchild who couldn't be bothered to come. When really, it's not about that at all.

Oh yeah, as a side note I say to my Dad:
Me: so did you change your flight for coming back?
Dad: No, I told you we weren't coming back early because of this.
Me: I don't mean early, it seems like you're staying longer.
Dad: What do you mean?
Me: Well you just told me you're coming home LATE on New Year's Eve but the day after Christmas when we spoke you said we'd be getting together before New Year's Eve to celebrate Christmas when you got back.
Dad: Oh, I guess I screwed that up.

Ok, SERIOUSLY? Is this man on something or just totally hell bent on finding ways to push me over the edge and just say enough is enough, that I just can't take the familial torture anymore and to just leave me the hell alone??

So we head to bed and of course my head is spinning again. I pull up the funeral home website and this is what I see...

Kenneth J. Wehr
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on Feb. 3, 1924
Passed away on Dec. 27, 2008 and resided in Milwaukee, WI.

Visitation: Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009
Service: Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009
Family Gathering: Saturday, Jan. 3, 2009
Cemetery: Mount Olivet Cemetery
Please click on the links above for locations, times, maps, and directions.

Wehr, Kenneth J. "Mike"

Entered into Eternal Life on Saturday December 27, 2008 at the age of 84. Beloved husband of Mildred (nee Fritz) for 60 years. Loving dad of David, Don, Ken (Lynda) and Floyd (Kathleen). Proud grandpa of Jennifer (Mike) Buettner, Ryan Wehr, Lindsey (Fabian) Klein and Chris Robinson (Sarah Rollings). Also survived by sisters-in-law, brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

Mass of Christian Burial Saturday 10:30 am at St. Gregory the Great Church (3160 S. 63rd St.). Visitation Saturday 9-10:15 am at the church. Interment Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Mike's family would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to the staff at Southpointe Health Care Center for their compassion and care. In lieu of flowers, memorials appreciated.

Ok, now let's step back here for a moment and look at he "Proud Grandpa" line. Let's even forget my feelings on the "Proud Grandpa" reference. Let's look at the people listed...

I'm listed first which should mean I'm the oldest. But wait...where's my older cousin Mike and his Wife Jen? (Yes, two Mike & Jen's in this small family. There's also been multiple Linda's with different spellings and multiple Kathy's with different spellings because they all seem to get married and divorced multiple times to the same named people.)

Ryan, Lindsey, ok, they're my younger cousins.

Chris Robinson? Seriously? They listed my Dad's Wife's ADULT Son and his wife but omit an actual family member? I mean seriously?

What did my cousin Mike do to get omitted cause honestly I would have taken the bullet on this one since I'm being outcast anyway. I would have expected to be the one omitted. I mean as far as I know his last name is still Wehr. Yes his parents got divorced but so did Mine, so did Ryan and Lindsey's. If we're playing by those rules, none of us should have been listed.

So here I sit, wide awake and upset again.

It's 2AM

And I'm wide awake because I'm so riled up. In my spazmatic state I did get some quilty things accomplished. It's that or continue to stalk the death notices online because I've convinced myself that my Dad won't call.

Early last week I brought home a used coffee cup from our coffee machine so that I could make a coffee cup sleeve. It's a smaller cup than what fits in my current sleeves and since it's a super thin cup it burns my hands every time. Well, Holly found it in my purse even though it was in a zip lock bag and ate it, derailing my plans. I remembered to bring another home with me on Friday and just got around to figuring out the sleeve tonight. I had to make it shorter and not as wide as my usual ones. It took 2 proto-types before I got it right. Here is my end result:

I also was able to get another set of four ornaments done. One more style to go!!

Feeling Guilty for not feeling bad

Ok, here's an odd post for you. I warn you, if you're not a regular reader and really haven't gotten to know me yet, just breeze on past this post and go no further. I really don't need judgements from those that don't know me. So why post right? Well, because I need to get this out.

So last night Jen, Mike & I are sitting down eating dinner in the kitchen. Mike apparantly hears my cell phone ringing from upstairs but since we were eating didn't say anything. I wouldn't have gone running to answer because of dinner and I think it's rude. Right away Mike's cell phone rings. He answers his but it's because he's sort of always on call. If there's an emergency where a contractor needs replacement parts to repair a watermain break, Mike's the guy to call. It was my dad. Right away kind of being an ass because he's calling Mike, "since he doesn't know when I'll look at my phone next." Seriously? Cause comments like that WILL make me run to answer my phone in the future?? Considering everyone else in my life that KNOWS me, KNOWS that I really hate talking on the phone.

He proceeds to tell me that his father is doing to die, that Don is at the hospital and he's going to get last rights and then have his vent removed. If I wanted to go to say good bye, now would be the time.

Ok, WHAT?? Since when was he in the hospital muchless on a vent??

He tells me that he told Mike last time he called. Huh? I checked with Mike. Mike does remember him calling at some point but never anything about my dad's father, hospital, vent; etc. So I ask him to clarify.

Apparantly he's been in the hospital (I still have no idea for how long or why he was there), my dad explains that the nurse was going fast and he fell out of his wheel chair. Which, since Jen works in the health care field was re-explained to me that it's more likely that yes he was being wheeled in a chair but that something must have occurred where he slumped and fell out of it but she said it always sounds so much better for families to say that someone was thrown out of a chair due to a nurses' fault. Honestly with how my dad's family is, I tend to believe my friend Jen. Ok, so then he says something about a gash on his forehead, broken nuckles. I still have no idea what caused him to be on a vent.

My dad asks me if I'm going to go and say goodbye. No, we're not close. I'd be an outsider there. I'm not part of his family in the way he seems to think I am. I've always been an outsider ever since the day I was born. Why would I go now? Why would I go say good bye to a man that was always mean to me? The kicker? My dad is on vacation in California. I say, are you coming back? No, we knew this was coming. That's when the whole "vent" conversation started. Ok seriously? WTF? So your dad is dying and you even went on vacation to begin with?

I have no idea if my dad will even call me to tell me once he's died. He gave me my cousins cell phone number and I was supposed to call if I had any questions or changed my mind about going to the hospital. Uh, ok, like I'm really going to call someone that I really don't know?? Someone who last year I sat at a back yard barbeque no more than 10 feet away from for over 12 hours and never said two words from me?

I really don't feel anything. I guess I feel sad for my dad and his family but other than that if anything I'm mad. I'm mad that he's saying he called when he didn't. I'm appauled that he thought I should go to the hospital to say goodbye to someone I never really knew when he can't be bothered to hop a plane home himself.

All in all, I guess I just feel guilty for not really feeling much of anything at all.

Oh Sew Quilty!

I really hung around the house today and did muych of nothing at all until about 4pm. It was nice to not have to do anything in particular.

I opened our linen closet to put something away and saw a rubbermaid tub that I hadn't seen recently so I pulled it down to see what was inside. It had my Flannel Quilt - one of the very first quilts I ever made inside and it REEKED. I had been afraid to wash it because the seams were weak. I was originally just tied. Some of the fabrics are about 50 years old at this point. It smelled like wet dog met nasty plastic rubbermaid tub smell. Regardless I didn't want to wash it in the condition it was in. I had always thought that maybe if it had some quilting on it that I'd be more comfortable using it and washing it. So I pinned it onto my frame and quilted it. Since it was originally just sewn and turned and then sewn around the edges I'm thinking I might put a white flannel binding on it to hide that I couldn't get super close to the edges when I was quilting. I really like how it turned out and now that it's washed the quilting really pops. I'm happy with it.

Jen came over around 6; followed shortly by my Mom. Then the crazy phone call from my dad. After dinner we hit the sewing room.

Jen was sewing fast and furiously on a quilt for her niece. She wanted to have it done for Christmas but sometimes things just don't turn out the way we intend them to. Not only did she get the top assembled but by 10:30 we were loading it on the frame. She quilted it and it turned out lovely. I put the binding on it for her because she hasn't done it often enough to be comfortable with it yet.

My Mom dabbled with the making of some coasters from charm packs that she had lying around. I made two more types of paper pieced ornaments - 4 each.

I have two more types to complete before I move onto the next step of quilting them and trying that backbinding that I'm working up in my mind.

The Blow Dryer Incident

On Christmas Day as I was getting ready I needed to was the hair gel gook off my hands before picking up my blow dryer. Well, I managed to knock the blow dryer into the sink and water ran through it. I ended up going to my Mom's with wet hair and drying it there.

Before I left, she gave me her travel blow dryer to use until I could get to the store to buy a new one. There's just something about a wet blow dryer...dried out or not I just don't think I trust it. Now her travel dryer, it doesn't get used often but she tested it out and all was well. I took it home with me.

This morning I'm getting ready for work so I go to the downstairs bathroom to use the dryer since it was still in my purse. Turn it on and KERCHUNK, POP, SNAP, SMOKE, SIZZLE. I rip the plug out of the wall. I look at Mike and say, "NOW WHAT??" He says well let's try the other one, it's probably dried out by now. He follows me up stairs and says, "I'll try it, if I get shocked, it's probably better that I get shocked instead of you." Ok, no argument there. My dad is an electrician afterall. I sure don't want to get shocked and become the butt of everyones jokes. Let Mike do it.

He plugs it in, turns it on and appears to be getting shocked and I of course freak out. And then HE STARTS LAUGHING. Yep, he was pretending to get shocked. I was sooooo frigging mad. I'm still mad and it's hours later.

Afterwork, I went out and bought a new blow dryer at Ulta. The same model actually. Of course since it had been so many months since I had last been to Ulta I ended up spending a small fortune. Of course, I needed shampoo and conditioner and had been eeking the last out of the bottles little by little. Then I realized I needed a new mascara and a new pressed powder...and well the list kept growing. The best thing of the trip was realizing that Calhoun Road between Greenfield and Bluemound road is now back open.

Holly Berry got into a paper coffee cup that I brought home from work so that I could make a sleeve for it 'cause man the coffee that comes out of our machine is freaking hot but wow the cup is a strange shape and size. Of course now she's sick. So instead of going to the movies tonight, Mike and I stayed home and snuggled with her. I didn't even get to sew. I just sat on the couch with the dog burrowed into my lap.

Christmas

I hope everyone had a Merry Christms. On Christmas Eve Mike and I stayed home. He grilled a turkey and we pulled out some of the stuffing and mashed potatoes from the freezer that were left over from the Thanksgiving Party that we cancelled. We watched some Christmas shows and then I headed upstairs to get my Mom's quilt for my Grandma quilted. I think it turned out rather nicely. It took quite a while because it was a large Twin.

On Christmas Day my Mom got the binding put onto it. I gave my Grandma the Father Christmas Wall hanging and I also gave her one of the Holly Jolly table toppers. We went to visit my Grandma at my Aunt Kitty's house and I decided to give her one of the table toppers as well. We stayed for Christmas Dinner at my Aunt's and we had a very nice time. Mike, my Mom and I were going to go to see a movie on Christmas Night but it didn't work out quite the way we had planned. Instead Mom and I watched movies at her house. I got the binding for my Reindeer Games quilt finished. I'll post a new picture of that one of these days. I'm really pleased with how it turned out.

All in all it was a very nice Christmas. I'm glad it's over though!!

Giggle at Jill

My best bud is currently in the ER for her fall yesterday. She's going to kill me for putting the picture on my blog but hey...her work bud Mary Beth is the one who shot the picture and sent it off to me!

------ MMS ------
From: Jill's Cell Phone/TYPE=PLMN
Sent: Dec 24, 2008 10:25 AM

wah

Fire Destroys New Berlin Home

Fire destroys New Berlin home

By Scott Williams of
the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Dec. 22, 2008

New Berlin - Firefighters hampered by bitter cold and a water shortage Sunday night were unable to save a family's two-story home after fire broke out.

The family of three, including an 8-year-old child, escaped unharmed after smoke-detector alarms sounded, Assistant Fire Chief Joe Dallman said.

The blaze was reported at 5:19 p.m. in the 3100 block of Hanke Drive.

Dallman said there were no fire hydrants in the area, so water supplies were transported from neighboring fire departments. Firefighters also struggled in the subzero temperatures.

"That didn't help," he said.

Crews were on the scene until about midnight.

With tax records putting the property's value at more than $200,000, Dallman said the house was a total loss.

The family is staying with friends, he said.

This family is a neighbor of my Co-Worker and this home is maybe a 1/2 mile from where we work. My Co-worker and his wife took the day off of work yesterday to take up a collection within the neighborhood to buy Christmas presents for their son and a care package for the parents. It was quite a devastating loss to the family. They were able to rescue one cat; the other perished.

The son's Christmas Gifts were in a dresser drawer that a fireman pulled out of the wreckage. They were ruined BUT the reciepts were still with them. Kohl's Department Store and Target both exchanged the gifts that came from their stores. Noticing that some were video games for a Nintendo DS, my co-worker and his wife went out and purchased one to go with the video games. It's not much but at least their son will see some bright spot during Christmas.

I'm going to make their son a quilt. I hear he's into Star Wars. I know I have a cut of fabric that I was going to use for a pillow case so I'll be using that for the basis of the quilt. I wish I could think of something non-descript that I could use to make the parents a quilt. But I have no idea on their tastes.

What absolutely kills me about this is the "no fire hydrants in the area." This kills me because Mike's company SELLS FIRE HYDRANTS to new residential areas and to municipalities. Please folks, if you're building in a sub division...check out if there are hydrants or not.

Festivus - Revisited

I was going to edit my original post but I want to make sure this gets seen. The idea of Festivus was to vent what you need to vent and feel better for having been able to say it, to get it out, get it off your chest. It's meant to be fun. We ALL have things and family issues to vent about. No one should be judged for what they have to air on a Festivus post.

99.9% of people seem to have gotten it.

To the random person who none of us have ever seen your name before but felt the need to email one of my very dear friends directly and chew them out for what they aired: Bad Form on your part. Bad, bad, bad form. You have no idea the circumstances. You have no right to judge. You're not inside their family dynamic. You don't know. You don't know how this person has felt.

What I do know is, you hurt someone near and dear to my heart. You know what hurtful things you said. The fact that you had the guts to do it from an email address with your full name on its is kind of shocking.

You are the type of person that has caused this Festivus holiday to exist.

YOU DISAPOINT ME.

Now everyone....back to the real Festivus post...air your grievances!!! Maybe it's time for some sort of Quilter's Feats of Strength!!

Festivus

In honor of today's celebration of Festivus lets have a contest! I'd like to have an "Airing of the Grievances."

Airing of Grievances

The celebration of Festivus begins with Airing of Grievances, which takes place immediately after the Festivus dinner has been served. It consists of lashing out at others and the world about how one has been disappointed in the past year. Every household has its own traditions; in one house, the Airing of Grievances consisted of writing the grievances on the fridge in marker.

Frank Costanza: And at the Festivus dinner, you gather your family around, and tell them all the ways they have disappointed you over the past year!

Frank Costanza: The tradition of Festivus begins with the Airing of Grievances. I got a lot of problems with you people! And now, you're gonna hear about it. You, Kruger. My son tells me your company STINKS!

George Costanza: Oh, God.

That being said, leave a comment. Make me laugh the hardest at your grievance and you'll win a quilty surprise made by yours truly. Spill what you cannot spill on your own blog. Air your grievances!!

Fantastic Article

I just ran across this article. I think it's a fantastic article because this woman has the same eye disease (Macular Degeneration) that my Grandma has.

Racine Woman Still Making Quilts after Losing Eye Sight

By John Dobberstein

Journal Times

Baby It's Cold Outside!!!!

It's super cold here in Wisconsin. I think the high today was Zero. Mike actually stapled an old curtain to the top of the front door jam because the weather stripping wasn't doing a good enough job. Our door knob was frozen.

Jen came over this afternoon to work on a quilt for her niece. While she sewed, I quilted a quilt for her other niece. It's the Jellyin' Around pattern out of the Strawberry Lemonade line of fabric. It turned out really, really cute. I used a pink and red verigated thread and did loop de loops with hearts. I was sort of bummed because my mom had used this same fabric for one of her quilts and I never thought of using the pink and red verigated thread. It looked PERFECT with the quilt.

After that was done we were waiting for my Mom to come over and bring the quilt that she wants quilted to give my Grandma for Christmas. While I was waiting and waiting and waiting I decided to play with these Paper Pieced Christmas Ornaments that I've had the patterns for in my stash for a few years now.

They were a lot of fun to work on. Easier than I anticipated. I have 8 blocks done. These are 3" blocks. I can't wait to make more. I'm going to try doing binding by leaving the backing larger and folding it to the front. I can't imagine trying to actually join binding on something this small. I don't want to turn them after all this work; I'm never happy with how things turn out when they are turned.

I'm using my leftover scraps from my reindeer quilt to make these ornaments. Since my tree skirt and yo-yo garland are also made from the same fabric lines, I think these ornaments will look really cute on our tree. Even if I don't finish them for this year, I'll have them done by next year.

LOVE IT!!

I got my Reindeer Games quilt today. I had a holly pantograph quilted on it at Patched Works. Diane really did an awesome job. This is the first quilt of my own that I've had professionally quilted. I put the binding on as well as all of the buttons. The quilt looks soooo cute now!! I didn't get that great of a picture but you get the idea. I'll take a better one once the binding is sewn down.

I also managed to sew the binding onto Holly and Murphy's Christmas Wallhangings. Holly's is even hung above her bowls already.

Now my poocher is VERY Quiltworthy. She looks around for quilts to lay on, if I'm laying one out she hops on at the worst moment. We always say, Dog Tested, Holly Approved. My girl DANCED around the kitchen as I hung her little quilt. I can't be convinced that she doesn't know it's for her so don't try and tell me otherwise.

The fabric line is Happy Howlidays by Amy Bradley for Moda. I've had a few people ask about it so good luck finding it. There doesn't seem to me much left out there.

Snow Day!!

Wow! It was a snow day after all. SOOOOO exciting! I think we got about a foot of snow and there was loads of drifting too. I ended up sleeping until about 11. Then I got busy in my sewing room. I quilted 4 Holly Jolly Table Runners, finished piecing the second Dog Wallhanging, put binding on all 6 and got the binding hand sewn onto one of the table runners.

Tonight I went to a cookie exchange at my friend Jen's. It was a great time. I had taken along one of my table runners just incase and sure enough; Julie had a table topper that needed binding so since she pulled hers out, I pulled mine out. We both got our bindings done while enjoying great conversations.

On the way home my Mom and I stopped at Walmart to pick up provisions for work tomorrow. We wandered all through the store just cause we could.

All in all, it was a fantastic day!!!

Let it Snow?

I don't know but it's 12:45 am and this huge snow storm that we're supposed to get that should have started hours ago has yet to arrive. I'm sticking to my guns, we're not getting ANY snow. They predicted 6-12 inches. Whatevah.

I'm heading to bed but I wanted to show what I worked on this evening.

I went to my Mom's to "help" with her Christmas cookies. Yeah I sat on my butt. Shrug. I had a dog hair lodged in the bottom of my foot. I noticed it the minute it happened as I was running down the stairs. I couldn't locate it exactly but it was really bothersome when I walked. I figured it was no different than a wood sliver or metal sliver that it would respond to super glue. So I ask my Mom for super glue. She pulls out 6 new packages of it. I open one and it turns out it's super glue gel. I figured that would give me a few extra seconds to put it on the bottom of my foot before it dried. Yeah...gel...it doesn't dry quickly AT ALL. I even used the blow dryer on it for about 20 minutes. Finally I'm sitting on the couch reading a magazine and Murphy walks over and is sniffing at the glue spot. I said watch, this will be the time that it dries and I'll have Murphy's nose stuck to the bottom of my foot. After about 2 hours the gel was finally dry enough for me to peel off and I'm pretty sure I got it out. Stupid Gel!!!

After that fiasco I made Jen some coasters for our Cookie Exchange. Nothing major but it's a nice little hostess gift. I had her pick out the fabrics the other night when we were at the shop. I guess they're the same fabrics as a wall hanging that she is planning on making. I usually do pointed corners but I got the idea to do rounded. I'm not sure that I really like them that way but once you cut one, there's no going back! They turned out pretty cute though.

When I got home I decided to load some table runners onto the frame. I'm not sure if it was a thread issue or a foot issue. I have a burr that needs to be removed but it was too late to ask Mike to do it. I can always smooth that burr out tomorrow. They are 4 of the Holly Jolly table runner panels. I picked them up for "in case" type gifts. I sewed them all together so I could load them all at once. Oh well, they're ready to go once I get that foot smoothed down.

I decided it was high time to work on my little 12 Dog Days of Christmas Wallhangings. I bought 2 panels and one charm pack. Holly and Murphy will each get one to hang by their food dishes. One done, one to go.

I talked to my Dad last night about the things that have been bothering me. Ok, talk is a little too low key. I totally unloaded but I didn't raise my voice, I didn't yell and I was only on the brink of tears but I didn't start. I felt very empowered when I was done.

Oh, and I had to cave and buy a BlackBerries for Dummies book so I can learn how to use some of the new to me features on my phone. I guess that makes me officially old...I can no longer keep up with technology without referencing a book.