[Contrary Housewife]

Warm here but grey and cloudy. Looks like some rain moved in during the night. The forecast is for cold air this afternoon, maybe snow tonight.

Red, I'm sorry about the gallery, but it does sound like you've been warned. Glad to hear your seeds are up.

Dlr, hope the exam goes well, and good luck with the smoke detector.

I was expecting it to be dry this morning so I could plant lettuce seed. I'll see how it is later. It may already be too wet to dig.

Fish for dinner, haven't decide what kind yet. May make tacos, may just be filets. Will use the last of the lettuce.

 

[jettsmom]

It was raining this morning. Stopped long enough to take mom to get her hair done. Looks like the sun is trying to shine. I thought it was going to rain most of the day. Got mom and dad salads on the way home. Mom just got out of the car and started moving before I got the wheelchair to her. The neighbor was out and she was trying to talk to him. Leave the poor guy alone. Nosy neighbor.

Going to pay bills and start a meal plan and grocery list. Need to wash some blankets and might as well do the towels too. I'm going to make some cookies for dgd. I've gotten chocolate chip cookies from Aldi. Every time she eats one she says "these are okay, but grandma's are better, grandma's are so good". I have M & Ms from Christmas, so I'm going to pick out the green ones and make St. Patrick's cookies. She's "Miss plan a party for everything", so I thought she'd like this.

Probably eating pizza tonight. The girls are getting together with their cousins tonight and we offered to buy pizza for them. We weren't going to go, but ds really wants us to be there. Extra eyes on the girls.

 

[josantoro]

Had some half & half that tasted OK but was breaking up in coffee. I made custard with it, tasted it, had that bitter taste like milk gone bad. Wasted 2 eggs and 1/4 c. sugar. Gave it back to the chickens, they'll eat anything. I should have known it was going bad but it wasn't near expiring.

 

[RedSpruce]

Yeah CH. I think I’ll give them a pass. Not sure where to go next, but I’m thinking closer to home. I’m putting a push on to finish the wall hangings. No gallery owner wants to be approached with unfinished pieces. I also need those professional photos. Then I can approach them through email, which is their preferred way. So I’m thinking mid-April.

I worked on edges all day. Tried to go for a walk, but a snow squall blew up, forcing us back home.

Was in an online hook-in today, working on the edges of the wall hangings.

Made sloppy joes for supper. Baking more cupcakes, this time white ones, to use up the leftover buttercream icing from earlier this week! 😉😂

Had a nap today too. Watching a YouTube video of a busy young mom on a homestead doing her thing…wishing I had her energy! My place is a mess.

 

[marthamfi]

don't you miss the energy of your youth...true with the sayings isn't it. Sunny here but still ice in the morning. Suppose to be the hottest day so far this year for St Patricks day. Free celtic fest this friday/sat so will go sat.

Well cranky cus that thing I should be too old for ..like hot flashes and that same time jeesh. Mom ended up going back to er cus doctor phoned hours later saying she was supposed to have more tests before she left so dh drove yet what cus back home fast enough. Younger generation like surprise don't live by the phone lol ..I got called cus she didn't answer the phone. well in kitchen and he didn't leave message.

Ended up getting Popeyes for dinner last night w coupon. got the groceries we needed after work too so don't need to shop for a bit. used up apples and lemon for regency apple tart and the rest of pastry for quiche. used up odds and ends for it. baked the chicken for wraps. dh and dd can't eat quiche. used some parsley and when I pulled the bunch out of the cup..wow the smell..ugh rotten swamp smell yes throw into the bushes for compost. nasty
I was good and put in my bookkeeping invoice, put payments on the cc's. made phone appt for prescription renewal have been waiting for the call but then pharmacy called to say my prescription was ready.

rewatching brokenwood mysteries early seasons. Dh has been late home all week traffic is bad all over. He is always busier when on break. Will see if we watch a library dvd or not tonight.

 

[chumbleyn1]

Cold today and possible freeze this weekend. Headed to continue moving costumes to the new place. I should have them all moved by next Wednesday. In the meantime, I have costume pieces to work on for my next show. I’ll be ready for a break for sure.

 

[dlrcpa]

The smoke detector is toast, just bought it in January. Made in China, not surprised. Called Kidde - sending replacement. This is 1 of 3 new ones, sure hope the others don't act the same. They are synched wirelessly so if one goes off they all do. More expensive feature of course.
Eye exam was fine and reasonable cost. Dog1 received his bath and let me use the hair dryer a bit. Vet visit later today for vaccines and dental scheduling. Corned beef was good, have not figured out tonight's supper yet. Will be ready for a quiet weekend after this....

 

[RedSpruce]

So yeah. I was at a real life crafting group in a church and a lady unconnected with the group came in for other reasons. So was looking at what everyone was doing while waiting her turn to speak to someone else. She saw my work and asked what I was going to do with it. When I said “sell it!”, she quickly offered up a local craft sale as a possibility venue.

I hesitated. I don’t have the stamina for craft sales. That’s why I do galleries. I asked if it was a juried show. It isn’t. I won’t do a show without jurying. My pieces are mid to high end. I don’t give it away.

Anyways, everyone else was all excited about this opportunity for me. One lady coughed up my business card for her to give to the show organizer. I was caught without my business card. 😔. I know I won’t be doing it because I do not have the proper display stands etc. But I was taken off guard. If the show organizer contacts me, I’ll just tell her I’m not interested at this time.

I have another wall hanging edged. Halfway through another. 4 1/2 small ones to go. Then onto the bigger ones. There’s only three of them.

Joining an online hook-in this afternoon. Should finish the wall hanging I’m on this afternoon. Maybe even another one or two.

Supper tonight is coming from the freezer meals.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Snow on the ground this morning, barely enough to cover grass, not affecting roads at all. Below freezing, but with the sun out it may get warmer.

Found one of last year's corned beefs in the back of the freezer, so I'll use that first and put the new one away for later. I let it thaw over night in the garage and will get it in a pot around lunch time. It's 3.25lbs, will be half that when cooked but still enough for leftovers next week.

Not much going on this weekend, hoping to relax and do some crafts or sewing.

 

[jettsmom]

Snow this morning. Will warm up a bit and then cold tomorrow. This weather is crazy. Dgds will come visit later this afternoon. Oldest may spend the night. I got her cookies made last night. Met them and their cousins at Chuck E Cheese last night. They had a blast. It was busier this time. It's spring break.

I need to stop at Tmobile for a shipping labe;. Dh upgraded his phone and we need to send the old one back. Last night it was a 1 hour wait to have them print a shipping label. It's always busy there. Since the bought Sprint, they've closed more stores. Dumb. Dh ordered his phone online, but we need to send the old one back for credit. They said to take the old phone to any store, which is not correct.

Forgot about the load of laundry in the washer. It still smelled good this morning. We'll see after it dries. Sometimes the sourness shows up after drying. Going to go do some shopping today and pick up another order from Kohls. No idea for dinner.

 

[RedSpruce]

Only 5 wall hangings total left to go! My fingers are sore, so I think I’ll take a break for the rest of today.

Went for a long walk with a friend. Just chilling out tonight.

 

[josantoro]

Red, when we used to do craft shows, we tried to stay away from ones where people go around looking for vendors. The good craft shows, the same people come back to sell year after year. If they are always looking for new vendors, not a good sign. And that was BEFORE all the MLM people started invading.

 

[RedSpruce]

I agree Josantoro. That’s why I used to always go into juried shows too. Less turnover of vendors. Usually the same people year after year. Plus the quality is better. But I really can’t handle the stress of a show now. I might be able to handle four hours a day, but that’s it. Plus, I don’t have the booth equipment (supports, lights, signs). I much prefer to sell through galleries, despite their 30-50% commissions.

 

[RedSpruce]

So the lady from this morning did send me an email this evening. I think she realized quickly that I don’t do craft sales. She probably googled my website from my business card.

I got a one liner, saying to google the name of the craft sale. I did and landed on a FB page where the organizer had listed all the vendors. There were a lot. Mostly jewelry and MLM. I think I’ll be staying a long ways away from that one!

I wrote a reply saying it was nice to meet her this morning, and thanks for the information.

Onward and upward!

 

[rujerro]

Red- I'd love to see a pic of your favorite wall hanging.
Dlr- Glad you got the smoke detector fixed and I hope the others don't start beeping. When ours beep, I dust them off and that can sometimes do the trick. I read that somewhere and dust gets caught in those things.....
Jetts-the green m&m cookies are a great idea.
Martha- The festival sounds like fun. What special events take place at a festival? If I'm part welsh, am I celtic? Hhmmm..

I posted this question in the money forum, but will give a reader's digest version and all thoughts appreciated. I have a small IRA. I need eye surgery, dental work, and have a cc balance. I'm thinking of cashing in part of that IRA to pay for all of this because I'm nervous about this economy and its future. I feel like the dollar has some value, so get stuff done before it loses value. Otherwise, it all goes on my CC. I know there is a 10% penalty to cash it Thoughts?

The HVAC people came. We need a new fan and motor on the furnace. But due to its age, the man said he wasn't sure there was a hairline crack in the heat exchange and if there is a crack, then we would have a carbon monoxide issue.But he didn't see if it was and couldn't photograph it, so he couldn't condemn the unit. He suggested that the trane air conditioner get replaced as the coolant isn't made anymore and if the pan beneath it cracks, the coolant will flow into the furnace and rust out the furnace. I asked if we could just fix the furnace but he said that this company would not be a good fit if that is all we want. DH said that air conditioning isn't a necessity as much as heat, so he doesn't care about AC. I think we will fix the motor and get bids on a furnace. The motor costs $900 but to replace all of the HVAC is $17,000.....DH said new furnaces are about $4000-5000.

 

[RedSpruce]

Rujerro, I can’t comment on the IRA situation, as I am not American and don’t know the rules around them. But can you replace the furnace with heat pumps? We have heat pumps and no furnace. We save a lot on electricity. Whether they would work for you depends a lot on the climate you live in. If it goes below -20 Celsius they probably won’t be a good idea. But you can get ones that function as heat source in winter and air conditioner in summer. We have two in our house - one on each floor. Two units would cost the same as your furnace and give you the best of both worlds.

 

[josantoro]

Red, there are juried (multi-day) craft shows where you don't have to be there. The organizers take care of setup and selling. There used to be one at Mount Snow ski area in VT, they transformed the base lodge/cafeteria into an art and craft gallery for 10 days or so, it was amazing. We did pretty well there with quilts.
I agree, it is exhausting to man your booth all day and hear the same comments over and over.

 

[dlrcpa]

Ruj - what you're saying is concerning. Years ago we had a crack in the gas furnace heat exchanger. I noticed a "exhaust" type smell when the furnace ran. Our HVAC company (annual contract so checks everything regularly) COULD detect the crack, they used some sort of temperature differential equipment to measure inside/outside somehow. Then the furnace got replaced and the labor cost was covered by the annual contract, so that saved somewhat. Sounds like that company just wants to sell you new everything, I would probably keep looking for another company I wanted to do business with long-term. You should have a carbon monoxide detector regardless.

Dog1 did well at the vet, they emailed a estimate for the dental cleaning. I'll call to schedule. I want to put any big purchases on the CC in April because the credit union is giving me 5X points - whooppee. TV guys supposed to show up this morning with the needed part (again). Hubby has a funeral to attend in the afternoon, someone he worked with long ago and I never met.

Update: TV is fixed (finally, after 2 months). Guy was a smoker and stunk up the house, he must have reeked. Ugh.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

Very cold and windy here this morning. Outdoor cat's water was frozen solid. No big plans for the day. Friends want to do a zoom call around noon, will suck up the better part of the afternoon. I'll find some hand work I can do while sitting here.

Ruj, ask around and see if there are any rebates on HVAC in your area. Sometimes the state or the utility company offers them for new/replacement installations.

Leftover dirty rice out of the freezer, with green beans for dinner.

 

[RedSpruce]

Overcast and warm here today. I’ve already been on a walk, polished my shoes, fixed the hem of my pants and finished whip stitching the edge of the last of the small wall hangings. I have three medium sized ones to go. Feeling accomplished.

Lunch was a lentil stew freezer meal. I finished the ciabatta bread. Trying to lay off food until the big supper tonight.

This afternoon I’m working on the medium wall hangings and pressing the small ones I just finished.

The lady who emailed me about the craft sale sent a reply to my reply! She said she would like feedback about the craft sale! And is thinking of joining our crafting group. 😔. I talked to my walking buddy about the situation. She also attends the crafting group. She suggested I just tell her I don’t sell at craft fairs. Yep. I can hear this woman now! She’s persistent, if nothing else. I might just be unavailable for the crafting group until after my wall hangings are finished and photographed…and the queries are sent to galleries.

Looking forward to tonight. A bit of hesitancy. DD sometimes doesn’t pick up on body language and nuances around her. I’m not sure what kind of reception we’ll receive at this restaurant, whatever and wherever it is. But as they’ve been there before, I’m hoping everything works out for them. Regardless, I’ll go in looking good! 😁