it seems like all I do is drop tidbits

But here I am again.

I've been trying to write a bit, take a different tack on the story I've been writing - or NOT writing for a couple of months now.

No motion on the job front. I have got to get out of there before I forget that I meant to get out of there. I haven't done a whole lot about finding something, which is stupid of me, but there don't seem to be many jobs of the sort I really really want and I send in applications for various secretarial things and never hear anything. I should go to Manpower or whoever and really get the ball rolling on something temporary. Then there's the headache of what to do with my kids for these last 6 weeks-ish of school and then swimming lessons, etc over the summer. I am spoiled by the free time and flexibility that I have. Maybe I'll hang onto it until the end of the summer and the kids will both be in school 5 days a week... Woooo copout there, I know.

Book from my book-a-day calendar: "If you lived here, I'd know your name: news from small-town Alaska" I haven't read it yet, but have requested it from the library, as it sounds interesting.

Otherwise, I haven't read my book club book for tomorrow night and think I might go to karate instead. We went to classes on Friday, which are make up sessions and I was the only white (or even gold) there, so went through my curriculum really quickly and then started learning the basics of defending against two people at once, then our mat fighting technique where we try to knock our attacker off-balance as they sit on our belly. I had this red belt young woman (OK, teenager) just laughing at me as I tried to throw her off and felt the burn in the back of my legs. Oompa. Ugh. "I'm old enough to be your mother, so get off of me NOW" - I didn't try it, but I wanted to.

Speaking of which, I found out that the young guy who led our class when our usual teacher took the day off for his birthday is a junior in high school. (A friend who has a son that age has been driving him to school with her son since he was "little Mitch") Good thing the bows and "sir" and "ma'am" are about mutual respect, because 17? The young guy who teaches the boys' classes is about 20, the sweet woman in the office who teaches a little is 19. All black belts. Yeah, that does earn them a LOT of respect, as a matter of fact. And the fact that they give respect to old farts with not much coordination and little kids who have more energy than sense just earns them gold stars in my book.

Dh took the car a bit ago and said it was a secret. I hope it's a good birthday present! Oh, he just called and now he's at the grocery store. Ah well, freedom from going to the store is a good b-day present, too ;)

When he gets back, I am going to go find some pillow fabric with burgundy in it. I should get out the other pieces of fabric to take along. On the other hand, we're getting a whole bunch of new drapery flat folds in this week, so maybe I will wait to see what it in there before buying. But then again, it's not on sale past today. Unless they keep the manager special price for a few more days. Oh bah humbug, it's just a couple of pieces of half a yard.

I need to go get the black silk fabric with gold African animals embroidered on it. I have been lusting after it for 1 and 1/2 years now and last night the deco lady was going to move it onto a bolt to put with the other silk fabrics and discovered that it was in 2 pieces - 1/2 yard and less than 1 yard, and we usually put that size thing on the flat fold clearance table. SCORE! It's on hold for me, but I have to have another supervisor measure it and sell it to me. I have other gold and black deco fabrics around. Not sure which room is going black and gold, but I can use them in my sewing room/front room with the garnet curtains and goldy yellow sheers.

I want new curtains for our bedroom. Dh got us a new comforter for Xmas with browns and blue (a shade called "spa" in deco language - sort of a light turquoise-ish color. the 00's version of 80's teal). I want some curtains now in spa with a bit of brown. I also want them to be heavily lined, since the window in our room is a huge sliding door that faces full west and our room just cooks in the summer. So heavy fabric, thermal lining. Yeah, I am aiming to spend a bundle on curtains in a rental. Sigh. Maybe cheaper fabric, then. And time to sew them? Our wedding anniverary is coming up, so I'll tell DH that it's a present for that and we can go look at fabric together, maybe.

I made a coworker tell me which fabrics to use to finish my breast cancer quilt. My mom told me that the butterfly is often used as a symbol for overcoming breast cancer, which I must have known on a mostly unconscious level and which I had been thinking more and more about. So now I need to get busy on it. I can either piece together enough batting from wide strips I have left or wait until next weekend when poly batting by the yard will be on sale.

OK, enough rambling. Time to make some lunch!

ETA: No idea if there was a purchase involved in my birthday presents. DH bought some shorts for himself as I can barely sew a new zipper in something easy, much less repair a zipper fly.

He and the boys have now spent most of the afternoon cleaning the car, though. I asked for it for my birthday as I was contemplating taking it to get it detailed. The whole thing has been scrubbed and vacuumed and looks so much better. It's a good present :)

I want to get some black static cling stuff for the back window, so will treat myself to that, too. We have a black thing by safety first that suction cups onto the back window, but the cups haven't been holding well for about a year now, besides which it is faded so much that it's amazing it keeps any sun out at all.

That and a few other things are going to be birthday presents to myself (a new blender because I broke the plastic carafe from the one I got a garage sale a few years ago, clearance shoes from nosweatshop.com, etc). Good things various parental units have sent me some money. Though I would like a cheap and goofy gift next year instead, hint hint. I love presents :)