one small ray of light

I am on an unpaid day off today. I had to take a 5% pay cut, but in exchange, I get 1 unpaid day off every 4 weeks. That is in addition to my regular paid vacation and holidays. And with the recent tax changes (we call it the "Obama Bump") my take home pay is back to where it was prior to the pay cut. Yes, I know I am not putting as much into my 401K due to the pay cut (my company suspended their contribution), but the extra time is really a blessing.

Time is such a valuable, yet nebulous thing. We try to save time, but there is no "time bank" where we can deposit it and spend it later. Time wasted is gone forever. You can never regain it. So I really like this little bit of "extra time" I get each 4 weeks. It becomes an extra weekend day for me to do whatever I want or need to do. We actually call it a "DWoP" (pronounced du-wop) for Day Without Pay, and look forward to it. I have used past DWoPs to spend the day with my Mom quilting, visit friends on a long weekend, polish up my portfolio (you can never be too careful) and today I am cleaning my closet and getting my hair cut. I can do this and still have Saturday and Sunday to relax as well. It feels like I am getting away with doing something wrong, but it isn't!

Yes, the loss of salary is scary, but this economic storm (like others) will eventually pass. So I plan to take my DWoP every 4 weeks (that is an extra 12 days off this year!) in addition to my vacation days and enjoy what each day brings.

And now a shot of Pepper in the creek (she likes to lay down and lap the water after we walk):

Happy Friday!

The rains of May

We have had an incredibly rainy week. Nice, considering the drought of the past 2 years. The clouds have been dark, grey and full, producing copious amounts of rain. Where it seems the media was complaining about how dry it was, now they are grousing about flooding in low-lying areas.
Well, as much as I prefer the sun, I enjoy the rain and the profuse fecudity of our local flora. (Makes me a little loquacious as well!). Seems like a million shades of green in addition to the many colors of the wildflowers in bloom.

Words that begin to describe my corner of the world: verdant, lush, fertile.

Oink!

This is great! Thanks Ilex!

King Sized top - DONE

Just finished piecing my king sized top. Hope to quilt it on Mom's long-arm later this month!
I love to finish things!

More Quilt shop reviews

(Grabbed this hibiscus close up yesterday at Lowes)

A correction for my previous list of quilt shops: I mistakenly listed Sew Original as Sewing Yours in Boone. My apologies! I love both of these places and appreciate their awesome staffs!

Continuing on my impressions of quilt shops:

In Morehead City, NC, I have visited The Quilted Butterfly, which is part of ALB Decorator Fabrics. The quilt fabrics side looks deceptively small. There is a ton of incredible fabrics here! I was struck by the beautiful oriental and batik fabrics. There are fabrics here you won't find easily in other places! The shop also has a great selection of kits using original patterns. The only drawback for me was the small space. With the beautiful unique fabrics, kits and samples, it would be nice to have more space. Also, if there are more than 3 people in there, it gets crowded!Worth the visit.

Also in Morehead City is Sew it Seams. This shop has a large inventory of many, many fabrics! All arranged by color, it is a visual delight. This shop also features a nice selection of quilting notions and kits. At my visit, I did wish they had better lighting. This shop is large and has a nice layout, but seemed dim. I will revisit!

I mentioned the Whistle Stop Quilt Shop in a previous post. I will reiterate the fun atmosphere and great selection of fabrics and patterns! A very nice, helpful proprietor as well (Connie).

And now, I will try to write about Mary Jo's. This cannot be called just a quilt shop. Mary Jo's is a sewing destination. There are 10's of thousands of fabrics here. Wedding, pagent, apparel, wool, upholstery, trims, gimp, and an incredible array of quilting cottons in 32,000 square feet all under one roof! You can spend a day here! In the parking lot you will see license plates from all over the US and Canada. Not kidding, this place is HUGE. Now, it is not just the selection, the staff here is awesome as well. The quilting fabrics are arranged by themes (animals, fruit, stripes, batiks) and by color. She also carries Michael Miller, Amy Butler and Kaffe Fassett fabrics. There is a huge wall of notions to choose from as well. Mary Jo's is a treat for me. I current live only an hour away, but I force myself to finish projects before I go there and stock up on more!