Karma's a bitch and so am I.

Posted by: Dena Mehling on Thursday, January 15, 2015 Categories: | |

(photo credit: I wish I knew.  Found online but please let me know if it's yours.  Your dogs are gorgeous!)

Earlier last year, we thought we were going to move.  I thought I'd get a leg up in the "getting our house ready" process and start cleaning and boxing up the basement.  I packed away all of my fabric and crafts.  Here's the problem... We didn't find a new house we wanted and now it's been months.  We may still move and we may not but let's address the seriousness of the real issue, my fabric's gone.  It lives in boxes in the garage. That leads to a big "out of sight, out of mind".

Enter the "I need new stash" project.  Here's your scenario:  My mom comes to town and she's a fabric enabler.  We like to go shopping.  We like fabric.  She doesn't ask me what I'm going to do with it.  I don't get it from strangers. 

Shocker, I know.  

So we go to our favorite store and there are two displays of Christmas fabric.  All of this fabric is on sale.  Deep discounted sale.  Seasoned shoppers know that this is not the time to plan a quilt.  Planning a quilt requires comparisons and auditioning fabrics.  This is the time to pick anything you like and say "2 yards, please".  It's clearly a stash building exercise. 

Fast forward to this one older lady and she has a cart and she is clearly planning a quilt but she's not sure which fabrics she wants yet.  She's taking every bolt of fabric she may consider.  We're going to call her "Grumpy Gus".  She taking a lot of room where there are a ton of people hovering about and being a little obnoxious about it.  Trust me, I know obnoxious.  I actually am finding GG to be quite rude.  

I, then, hear one of the employees come over and very nicely say the following to Gus:

"I'm so sorry but this [other] lady was going to buy some fabric from a bolt you have and I accidentally put it away.  Can I take it and she only needs a 1/4 of a yard?"

Now, there is easily 10 yards on this bolt which is MORE than enough for a super large quilt backing.  I may not know what Grumpy Gus is planning with that fabric but she has enough and can easily spare 9 freakin' inches.  It's common decency.  So what you may ask does GG do?  

She says "NO!"
 
I mean, really?  Really.  She won't give a wronged customer 9 inches of fabric from her mighty sale bolt?!?  

The employee actually walks away a little unsure what just happened and what to say.  Gus starts muttering to herself that she took all this fabric fair and square and she won't be bullied into giving it to someone else and if they wanted it so badly, they should have bought it when it first came out.  I took that to mean "at full price" which she wasn't doing either. Just sayin'.

My mom and I are equally horrified.   Here's the problem for GG:

I'm a bitch.  At least, I've been called that before. 

I know what you're thinking.  I didn't say a word.  I didn't curse at her.  I didn't go all "Dena".  I might have, only allegedly, waited until GG was looking for more fabric from the shelves and walked over to cart.  Maybe the bolt in question disappeared and the lady who wanted the long quarter found it.  Maybe two more bolts from the cart disappeared.  They might have landed in my pile.  There may not have been any leftover.

I can not confirm that any of the above events took place.  I bought too much fabric to tell anyway.






Happy 2015! Where have you been?

Posted by: Dena Mehling on Sunday, January 04, 2015 Categories: | | | |
It's a new year and considering my last blog post was in June... I'm WAY behind.  I really want to make an effort to blog more this year.  That and about a million other things so we'll see how that all pans out.

What's happening, you ask?  Since my last post.  The Big One started Kindergarten.  That was far more difficult than I ever anticipated.  Not emotionally, mind you, but logistically.  All of the sudden I was thrown into the world of homework and making lunches.  It was quite the adjustment.  The Little One also started pre-school.  She only goes half days for a few times a week but it's the first time I've been alone in 5+ years.  Did I mention it's glorious?

So what does the New Year bring?  I'm making some goals...

Financial:  Try to eat in more often.  I really enjoy eating out.  Not for the food so much as for the having someone else do it and clean up for me.  It's a huge portion of my budget and I am trying to save more.  I have a big expense in mind that will take a lot of savings and while that's not a 2015 expense, it's a someday expense.

Health:  To become more accepting of the body and cards I was given.  I have a bad hip that I won in the genetic lottery and it's a ticking time bomb.  I'm a constant work in progress but I can admit, it's been more superficial in it's goals.  To look good in this or that but now it's more about the inside.  The heart, the lungs, the hip.  Maybe it's because I'm turning 40 soon.  And yes, I'd like to look good in this or that.

Family:  It's a big year for the Little One.  We're leaving 2015 potty-trained, binky free and in a big girl room.  I have decreed so obviously, we're so going to make this happen.  (ha.  fingers crossed)

Socially:  To not absorb people's moods.  I am guilty of letting people influence my day.  If you're having a bad day, I'll let you bring to me your level and we can bitch together.  It's not good for me.  Plus, throw a kick ass party or two.

Hobbies:  Sewing makes me happy.  Find the time.*

I think my friend said it best... "get rid of stuff that no longer serves me. Clutter, bad habits, pounds, toxic relationships, etc."  I'm stealing your brilliance there, Jenn.

*Notice how I didn't add stupid things like stash diets and only working on UFO's.  That's just not in the cards.  Ever.  I'm off to the LQS.