Update… Lots going on!

WHEW!!  I’m taking a couple of deep cleansing breaths here, and sitting down just long enough to report in.  I feel oh-so-guilty when I look and realize that I have not blogged in quite a while.

GUSSIE UPDATE:  She is purring like a kitten.  I never did call the service line, because once I threatened she straightened up and stitched right (for a very brief time… like until about the time the service line would be CLOSED for the day!).  BUT I had finally realized that the whole issue was the rocking finger.  I tinkered with her, tiny adjustment at a time, until I finally found the spot she likes.  Result…. beautiful stitches, no loud clanking noises, and NO LOOPS!  I might need to check and see if DH can WELD the rocking finger in that position since it seems to want to undo itself on a regular basis.  But at least now I know I CAN DO IT!

QUILTING:  I’ve been very busy with customer quilts!  I’ve done 4 this week, and last night I quilted the Veggie Tales quilts for the twins.  Today I will get the bindings put on and probably hem them on the machine.  Then a H-U-G-E customer quilt will go in the machine.  I waited until I was SURE Gussie was fixed before even thinking about putting this one in.  Who wants to pick loops from the back of a king-size quilt?  NOT ME!!  I’ll drop off and pick up another load of quilts at quilt club next week.  I’m in a rush because….

IQ UPDATE:  More production issues have cropped up, but my IQ will arrive for installation on Sept. 25th!!  So I’m on a new count-down.  Plans are being made for painting and final cleaning the week before “she” gets here, so there will be no rest for me in the mean time.  OH… and we have company coming that weekend… but we will deal with that.  I usually clean house like a white tornado before company comes, but I have already started on the process because IQ was coming, so I am a step ahead of myself!  DH can be “host” instead of me because I will be learning how to use my new baby.  Can you tell I am excited?  I am SOOOO looking forward to having access to some new patterns, and the creativity I will have with IQ.

PEARS: … are everywhere.  They are just about to finish up and we are getting as many as possible dried in the food dehydrator.  I had never thought of doing that, but JUDY mentioned drying fruit and suggested pears were yummy.  Honestly, I don’t much care for regular pears.  They are the one fruit I just don’t particularly enjoy, but the dried ones are YUMMO!  It is a shame my dehydrator is so small.  Eight-ten pears at one time is all we can do.

OKRA:  It is coming out our ears!  And I am SOOOO thankful for the 2 1/2” of rain we got this morning.  That is the first measurable rain in a couple of MONTHS!  No kidding!  That should really revive the okra (which DH has been watering) and get it going some more.  We should have okra in abundance until cooler weather arrives, and that will probably be at least another month.

Got to run… DISH is coming to install tomorrow.  I figure I should at least wipe the months-old dust from the TVs and whatever they are sitting on!

Have a great Friday and a wonderful weekend.  I’ll see you again next week.  And THIS time I will have something to show on Design Wall Monday!

KAT