ANNOYANCES AND A BIRTHDAY GREETING! (and added on a link to Melody's blog)

This will be quick, as I have many things I need/want to do this morning. I am trying to rise above my frustration level and annoyances, but I am going to need some patience from my God because there is NO WAY I am going to muster it up on my own, haha. Bottom line? There is something already wrong with my new sewing machine. I think I had thought at first that "maybe" it was something I was doing wrong. After all it is a complicated machine, and I am not the quickest learner around. But after 3 trips over to the store asking questions to include one trip on Sat. with my hubby in tow, I was thinking that maybe they had figured out what I was doing wrong and what I needed to do. But after trying it this morning I discovered that it was NOT the problem. Upon trying a few other things (should have done that in the first place!) I figured out it wasn't me at all, but the machine. I called the store (and used a somewhat annoyed voice!) and of course she told me to bring it in and they would look. Sooo then I had to get even more annoyed and pointed out that the machine is BRAND new, I've already been to the store 3 times bringing what the machine was doing along with me for people to look at, and SURELY someone there should have known it was a machine problem, and NOT an operator problem. Plus, I have a LONG list of things I am needing to get done for the holidays and now I would have to bring my BRAND NEW machine in to be fixed which would take who knows how long. She did seem apologetic so I got off the phone and proceeded to load up the machine to take to the shop. Now that in and of itself is NOT an easy chore. It is in my sewing cabinet, in very tight quarters and weighs a million  several pounds.  The case for it is on the top shelf in my closet requiring a step stool for me to even get it down.  This would have ordinarily been an obvious chore for my hubby, not a broken kneed weak woman such as myself.  But!  I actually SOMEHOW got it disconnected and loaded into the case with all of it's gear, got it into my car, and skidded drove over to the shop.  I prayed on the way over for the Lord to control my tongue and my anger and my frustration, while at the same time helping me to be assertive enough that they would listen to me and quit assuming I was doing something wrong.  Thankfully the lady working today is one I think is very helpful and has always been soo nice, and  NOT the other gal who really wants nothing to do with me or my issues.  I know this sounds kind of whiny and dramatic, but my husband has thought the same thing about her.  Anyway, she told me that the repair guy was at the store and she had told him to go over my machine top to bottom while I waited.  I instantly calmed down and was appropriately grateful.  There was no one else in the store so she sat down at the demo machine of mine and proceeded to go through questions I have had one by one.  She had MANY MANY tips and suggestions that were VERY helpful.  Some very basic things were never told to me in the classes (believe it or not!) and she let slip to me I was not the first to have complained.  Two hours later he came back out with my machine that he had gone COMPLETELY through and did indeed have to adjust a couple of different things that were causing my problem.  He loaded it into the car for me and I left a very happy camper.  Somehow I got it back into the house, back into the cabinet and crawled around got it plugged into it's various different plugs.  A few minutes later I could see that it was indeed running PERFECTLY!!  I have decided (for now anyway) NOT to dwell on the fact that I have been hasseling something that they should have fixed upon my first complaint.  But then I thought, WHY OH WHY was it even not working properly already anyway? Hopefully it is not going to be touchy or something that needs constant adjustment, or it is just not going to sit well with me.  My old machine was used and used and used some more and never EVER needed a repair of any kind.  That was why I wanted another Bernina in the first place.  But then again it was not a computer operated machine, and was really pretty basic.  Soo I am just going to "move along" as I tell my kids and just keep busy with it and I guess see what happens...Hopefully, it will a LONG LONG LONG time before anything is ever wrong with it again.  Meanwhile, I have finished my second runner, and it is a little bit better in some areas than the first.  Still a thing or two that needs improvement, but overall I enjoyed doing the quilting on this more a little more.  I put the binding on by hand this time rather than by machine, and truthfully I think I will stick to machine.  By the time I got all the way around it my hands kind of hurt, lol, so guess it is not for me.  I was VERY pleased with the way the binding at least came out.  Here it is...

HARD TO SEE THE STITCHES I USED I KNOW, BUT HERE IT IS!

JUST HAD TO SHOW YOU ONE OF THE MITERED CORNERS, AND YOU CAN SEE SOME OF THE STITCHES

Tomorrow is little Sam's second birthday.  Can't believe this sweet little guy is already 2!  She had a birthday party for him last Sat and he had a wonderful time.  The shirt Grandma made him was a little big, but he LOVED it, so it is all that mattered.  Happy birthday sweet Sam!  Grandma loves you to the moon and back and forever and ever!

SWEET SAM IN HIS PARTY SHIRT!

HIS MICKEY CAKE

THEY ALL HAD FUN IN THE JUMPY HOUSE

LOVED HIS CAKE!

PLAYING WITH HIS NEW TOYS  THE NEXT DAY...HIS SNOW WHITE HAIR IS FINALLY COMING IN SOMEWHAT!  HAHA

I have a couple of other medical issues that just can't be ignored, so I am having a ct scan done on Wed., along with blood work and a couple of other things in a couple of weeks.  I am praying of course that there is nothing seriously wrong, and that they can figure out how best to "fix it".  Honestly, I am afraid it might be yet another auto immune disease, and it is just so frustrating, but they do tend to run in my family, as my sisters all have similar problems...sigh.  Does seem like this is kind of a whiny type post so I think it is time to get off of here and focus my head somewhere else.  Hope you all have a GOOD week!  Blessings to you all!  Debbie

My daughter Melody has started a blog again.  She kept one when she was pregnant with Sam but got pretty busy, but has decided that it is a good way to document her time as a mama of two babies.  Anyway, if you are interested, she has written a wonderful prayer for Sam's birthday.  You can find her HERE