The Sewing Mom

My mother-in law is coming to visit for Christmas. This means we don’t just buy her a single gift, but we also purchase a few smaller gifts for under the tree and of course, to fill her stocking. I always hated spending Christmas someplace other than home and I would open one gift while the family members opened many packages each. It sort of makes you feel left out and I don’t want her to feel that way.

Since her accident a few months ago, she doesn’t get outdoors as much as she used to, but when she does I want to make sure she has a good pair of sunglasses. She lives in California and when she’s feeling well she tends to go out walking a lot. I hate it when she wears those humongous, oversized, square looking sunglasses. I do not know where older people find those things, but they’re hideous! I think a pair of Ray Ban sunglasses would not only look better, but would provide the UV protection that she needs. While I’m looking at Ray Ban, I might find myself a nice pair of D&G designer sunglasses to drop into my own stocking for Christmas!

What about you, do you have visitors staying with you for Christmas? Will you be buying them gifts?

Technorati Tags: Ray Ban sunglasses, D&G designer sunglasses

No tags.

Working in the schools the last few years have made me very aware of the disparity between those who have and those who have not. It’s at this time of year when that becomes even more apparent. Something we’ve always made an effort to support at this time of year is Toys for Tots sponsored by the U.S. Marine Corps. We always donate a bag full of Barbie’s and board games to this wonderful organization.

I was very please to read a post today by Elizabeth about another way we can support Toys For Tots, through shopping. I hope you’ll head over to her site to learn more about it.

This is not a sponsored post, I just want to remind my readers to support Toys For Tots this season.

Technorati Tags: Toys for Tots

No tags.

Every year between Halloween and New Years, I have a tendency to gain weight. There are just so many treats that I love, my resistance is futile I feel! It starts with Halloween. All those little chocolate bars just kill me. I don’t feel guilty because they are so small. Let’s just not count how many of them I eat okay?

Following Halloween, the stress of the upcoming holidays begins to build. Stress makes me want to eat. Eating makes me gain weight because, of course, I’m not eating healthy foods, I’m eating all the junk. I need a Holiday Survival Guide customized just for me to get through it! I don’t even bother with making New Year’s resolutions because it would always be the same, lose weight. This year I’m making a holiday resolution to watch what I eat. I didn’t too bad with Halloween this year, but Thanksgiving was another story. I just can’t resist that pumpkin pie and found myself eating it for breakfast a couple of times. The last of the pie is now gone, so hopefully I can get back on track. Unfortunately I know that Christmas always brings boxes of chocolates so I’m going to have to figure out a way to resist those or I will be in trouble.

I am really looking forward to Christmas, now if I can just reduce the stress and control my eating and my weight gain!

Technorati Tags: Holiday Survival Guide, weight gain

No tags.

When we relocated back in April we thought we had found the home of our dreams.  It’s a fantastic layout on a pretty piece of property and it has most of the features we were looking for in a house.  Unfortunately, after moving in, we discovered how beat up the house was.  The previous owners had mistreated it badly.  I tell people that it’s as if they played hockey indoors, literally!  I’ve found actual puck marks on the walls.  The girls were allowed to play with nail polish and I’ve found red and pink nail polish on the carpets, doors, walls, and trim work.  The walls are filled with giant nail holes and dings and dents.  The house is just 6 years old, it shouldn’t be in this condition.

One of the first problems we discovered is the bathtub/shower in my daughter’s bathroom only gets steaming hot water, no cold.  I finally had the plumber come out today.  He removed the face plate where the water turn on valve handle is located to get to the mixer valve.  The mixer valve is what allows the hot & cold water to combine and then come out the faucet.  What he found was a broken mixer valve and a really bad repair job.  Yes, the previous home owners had made an attempt to repair the problem and had actually made it worse.  So, now the plumber will have to remove tiles from the wall in order to put in a new mixer valve, total cost - $300-400 (including labor). 

Funny thing is, the plumber noticed and commented on all the holes in the walls.  I explained that yes, I am having to go through  the entire house patching and painting as I go.  I know that one day I will have all the repairs done, but in the mean time it is just so hard to make this house feel like home.   Well, at least he’ll be back next week to do the actual bathroom repair and that will be one big item I can check off the list.

No tags.

My daughter’s math teacher works very hard with her students. She spends her lunch hours tutoring as well as after school with students that she feels lack an understanding of the principles she is teaching. I admire her for putting in that much effort to make sure her students comprehend what she is teaching.

Other students in other schools may not be so lucky. Parents of those students need to hire Math Tutors for their children to keep them from falling behind. Math is one of those subjects that if you do fall behind, you can become quite frustrated and it’s like a snow ball, the problem just keeps getting bigger and bigger unless you get help.

I feel fortunate that my daughter not only understands the math being taught, but also that if she does have a question, her teacher has made herself available to answer it.

No tags.

Hello, my name is Lynne and I am addicted to blogging.

77%How Addicted to Blogging Are You?Free Online Dating from JustSayHiI found this great site through a post that Lisa did. So, being the addict that I am I took the quiz to get my addiction results. To my surprise, my percentage is much lower than I thought it would be!They have a lot of other great ideas over there, you might want to check it out!

(this is not a sponsored post)

No tags.

I know exactly what I want to find in my Christmas stocking this year, Pirates of the Caribbean, At Worlds End starring Johnny Depp. No one can play Captain Jack Sparrow the way Johnny Depp did it and I can watch any of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies over and over. I all ready own the first two and trust me, I have watched them again and again, just ask my family!I love the way Captain Jack swaggers, almost as if he is drunk, and yet he knows everything that is going on around him at all times. There are so many wonderful scenes in these movies that whenever I watch them I find myself saying “oh, I love this part” and “watch this, watch this” over and over! I’m sure I drive my husband absolutely nuts whenever the movie is on. I don’t know if I could list my favorite parts of these movies, there are so many of them right from the beginning in The Black Pearl when he arrives in Port Royal on his sinking boat and swaggers onto the dock. There are so many good lines in the movie too, I just think it’s very entertaining and very well written. I just can’t name one single line or scene that is my favorite because I love the entire movie.

The second movie in the series, Dead Man’s Chest, I love almost as much as the first. I love it when Captain Jack first appears in the second movie and he’s with the native tribe, all painted with a “second set of eyes”. It’s so bizarre and yet I love it. I enjoy watching his banter back and forth with young Will Turner. I really enjoyed the scene where they are all trying to escape from the natives and Jack hanging from a skewer over the fire blowing on it trying to put it out. I was laughing through the entire scene. I just think these movies are great entertainment and Johnny Depp is perfect in his role of Captain Jack Sparrow.

Yesterday I saw Johnny Depp being interviewed along with Tim Burton, the director of Johnny’s new movie Sweeney Todd.  It was really interesting.  I decided to visit the official Sweeney Todd movie site to check out this new movie coming to theaters in December. The thing I was most surprised to learn is that this new movie is a musical, yes, Johnny Depp is singing! If you visit the official site you can hear some of the music from the movie and yes, you even get to hear Johnny himself.  Visit Sweeney Todd on MySpace for even more information.

Technorati Tags: Captain Jack Sparrow, Johnny Depp, Tim Burton, Sweeney Todd

No tags.

I never thought it would be so difficult to find a simple piece of sheet music.  But then again, this is the first time I’ve ever been out shopping for sheet music, so what do I know?

My daughter played a piece on her baritone in a solo contest last winter and there was a piano accompaniment that went with it.  She still has her solo part, but needs the piano piece because she and her friend want to play it together in the talent show.  Talent show tryouts are next Tuesday.  

I spent the weekend online looking for this music but the only place I did find it at can’t get it to me for two weeks.  So I picked my daughter up from school today and we hit 3 different music stores looking for the music.  The first one was a referral from the online store.  Unfortunately, they didn’t sell instrumental music, but they referred me to a second store that they were positive would have it.  So, off we went.  We find the place, walk in and say we’re looking for sheet music and they right away tell us they don’t sell any sheet music!  WTH?

So, we head off for the 3rd store which was also a referral from the online store.  This last store does indeed sell sheet music but unfortunately, they don’t have the specific song we’re looking for.  Not only that, the woman was rude!  She made it quite clear that they don’t play that in the schools here in Texas until at least 7th grade and since my daughter is only in 6th she couldn’t understand why we wanted it.  I explained that we moved from Illinois where they begin band a year earlier and that she had all ready played it.  (I should’ve also told her that my daughter won a 1st place medal for her performance, which she did!)

Anyway, needless to say we came home empty handed. My daughter is upset because she doesn’t have the music and I’m trying to tell her she and her friend need to find a song that perhaps they both do have the music for.  I suggested she take her baritone book with her to school tomorrow and they can look it over together to see what they can do.  In the mean time, I’ll be spending tomorrow on the phone with a couple of other music stores that aren’t as close but may have the music. 

Technorati Tags: sheet music

No tags.

The holiday shopping has begun! I heard that the best way to keep from overspending on the holiday gifts is by making a list of every single person you need to shop for, including teachers, bus drivers, etc., and then write down what you are spending on that person. You should have a total budget figure in mind and divide it up appropriately between all the people on your list. Then, we you go shopping, don’t deviate from the listed amounts. This can keep you from getting in over your head and having to get pay day loans to cover your holiday shopping spree.

So, after hearing all of that, do you make a list and check it twice? Do you stick to your budget or do you tend to overspend? I tend to have a list for the immediate family, but there always seems to be last minute additions to the list that don’t get included in my budget. Plus, I know I am definitely guilty of overspending every year on my daughter. I really need to reign myself in when it comes to her, I just can’t seem to do it.

So, I’ve started my shopping. I bought a few items online last week and a couple more today. I like shopping online especially when I find the no tax and free shipping deals. I hate how much tax can take out of my budget! I had even gone to the store this morning and purchased a gift, then came home and found the same item available online with no tax and no shipping so I’m returning the one I purchased this morning. Even if it’s only a few dollars in tax, it all adds up and in the end, it will save me money. In fact, I just ordered my niece a gift and by saving on tax and shipping, I felt good about spending a few dollars to have the present gift wrapped since I was shipping it directly to their home, not mine. Saving in one way, allows me to take advantage of other services.

I am going to avoid a payday loan by following my own advice: make a list and stick to it!

Technorati Tags: pay day loans, payday loan

No tags.

This is under the category of just plain stupid! 

A man in South Carolina went into a local bank to open a new account.  He handed the bank employee a $1 million dollar bill to open the account with.  When the employee refused to open the account, the man became irate and started cursing at the bank employees.  Police were called.

First big mistake on his part?  The U.S. Federal Government has never issued a $1 million dollar bill.  He was arrested on forgery charges.  He was later charged with a second count of forgery when the police discovered that before going to the bank, he had purchased cigarettes at a convenience store using a stolen check.

Technorati Tags: million dollar bill

No tags.