Skinny Screws and Not-So-Gorgeous Red Blouse

Hello friends on Thursday.  This week is flying by like all the others in 2012.  It is suppose to be 76 degrees outside today.  That's just not right for December!  It is lovely for shopping, however, so I did stop at the Liquor store last night on my way home.  It is a former worn out gas station or dump -- not sure -- but I have always been afraid to stop there even though I drive right by it every day on my way home from our store.  I wasn't even sure it was a store, but there was a lit up "Liquor" sign hanging in the window, so I thought it was either some teenager's bedroom or a store.  Decided to find out. 

There was a very nice man inside who informed me he wasn't allowed to sell anything that didn't have liquor in it when I asked him if he had any stoppers to put in the wine bottle after the cork was removed.  He had my favorite, Reunite Lambrusco, and I was very surprised that he also had Kendall Jackson Pinot Noir (sounds like "pee no more" -- thanks Deanna).  It is the one that is suppose to be good for you, so I've decided to learn to like it even though it does cost 3 x as much as Lambrusco.

I don't know HOW I got off on that subject.  I was going to tell you about the skinny screw.  You know what that is, don't you?  It is a screw that has such a tiny slot in it that when you put your sewing screwdriver in it to turn it counterclockwise to loosen it, you jam the screwdriver into your thumb and slice it open.  Yep!  That is how my day started.  Funny thing is, when I picked the screwdriver up, I thought to myself, "I hope I don't cut myself with this."  Shoulda been a sign, huh???

I decided that my red blouse was boring and looked just like all my other blouses -- except for the fabric -- and I wanted to do SOMETHING to make it different.  It actually does have a different sleeve -- a 2-piece sleeve -- but you can't really tell.  I decided that I had just enough fabric left to put a ruffle on the sleeve, and I remembered that ruffler contraption I had paid a small fortune for a few years ago.  I got out the ruffler attachment and that is where the skinny screw was that I had to loosen.  After that bloody event, some Neosporin and a bandaid, I continued with the ruffle adventure.  FIRST, I had to remember how to use the crazy thing because Bernina doesn't believe in putting directions in the box.  I fiddled with it for quite awhile, and I figured out how to make it work.  Here is what I came up with:

Of course, I had to make two of them.  It took me a long time, so I hope you are impressed!  I put the two ruffles on the end of my sleeves, and I put the blouse in the washing machine.  I took a shower, ate lunch, ironed my blouse and put it on.  I thought I would be thrilled with the fit, but I wasn't.  I think the fabric is just really stiff though, and the blouse is fine.  While I was pressing my new blouse, Jerry suddenly appeared in the doorway.  Since he left to go to another town this morning, I was really surprised.  I told him I would be down to fix his lunch as soon as I got my blouse on. 

Then it happened.  I walked into the kitchen with my new red blouse on adorned with darling ruffles, and I might as well have had my pajamas on for all the notice it got.  That is when I decided it must not look very good -- or it looks like all my others.

So here's a picture.  I'm trying to show off the ruffles.  I'm going to start a knit top next, I think.  Either that, or think of some more people I know to send Christmas cards to.

When Jerry left to go back to work, I came upstairs to take this picture for you.  That went well UNTIL I tried to download it into PhotoShop.  The most INSANE thing happened.  PS would open but I would get an error message saying the world was coming to an end -- or something like that -- and I had to close it immediately or else!!!  I closed it, and tried again -- and again -- and again.  I rebooted.  Same thing.  I decided I was going to have to call those people in India to figure out what to do.  I SWEAR, those people don't have a clue what they are doing, and they just read little help sheets to you. 

I guess there is a new law that you can only TALK to one of those India guys if you have the LATEST version of PS.  Since PS 11 has come out, my PS10 is now an OLD version.  Hence, you cannot talk to a person -- you have to CHAT with a person.  Here is how my afternoon went:

From 1:12 PM until 2:18 PM, I chatted with Santosh.  Got disconnected.
From 2:25 PM until 3:07 PM, I chatted with Gokul.  Got disconnected.
From 3:41 PM to 4:30 PM, I chatted with Tanvi.  Got disconnected.

At 4:30, Tanvi was in my computer trying to figure out what to do.  He told me I needed to make him a temporary Administrator or he couldn't help me.  As I was TRYING to do that while wondering if he was going to see everything in my computer and if he was really some kind of spy, our chat disconnected, but not before I got Jerry on the phone to ask him how to do something Tanvi told me to do.  That caused me to have to LOG OFF and LOG BACK ON.  Would you believe that doing that somehow miraculously has cured PhotoShop?  I had already lost the chat with Tanvi, so it had nothing to do with him.  Three people, and none of them could help me.  AARRGGHH!!!  And people think I am not patient.

Time to run.  Have to make supper for the Master!

Hugs, Joy