Time!!! Do you have enough? Do you have times when you seem to have all the time in the world and other times where no matter how you.... rearrange the demands you don't have enough? Sometimes it is a big thing and other times it is many many small things. Sometimes at the end of the week do you wonder how you got it all done?
One of the fellows my husband used to work with called the small
things 'Time Thieves'. Little things that eat up lots of your time and attention in small almost unnoticeable chunks, that add up to hours at the end of the week.
We all experience the little ones... emptying the dishwasher, picking up a room, feeding the dog, answering a phone call that extends by 15 minutes.... giving some attention to a family member that just needs a little comfort or a sounding board. I bet you can name a few too and at the end of the week wonder where all you time went?
And there are the regular big ones... work for a paycheck and then there is housework, and family duties oh and let's not forget sleep. All suck up an enormous chunk of our available time, not to mention energy.
At my house we seem to be grappling with a few of the bigger ones. Bandit, the 10 month old puppy has needed a little adjustment. He is a dog bred to be aggressive, (not necessarily mean, but not a fraidy cat either). He was not understanding his place in the house and certainly forgetting what the word NO meant in regard to him. So off to the breeder, for some
more stringent training than the regular obedience that we already completed. This is taking about 17-20 hours a week, but in the end Bandit will be a better dog and we of course will people and all be on the same page.
Added to the dog woes... my computer has been acting up... regularly for months but I just couldn't figure out where the problem was. The computer was shutting down, or the program I was in (usually Google Chrome) would freeze and I would have to restart, or after restarting the computer the program would not start so restart the computer again. I think I have it worked out now. It appears to have been caused by an Anti-Virus/Internet Security update/upgrade that was loading a .dll or other startup directive... where it cause interference with another program, possibly even Windows 10. But my computer has behaved itself for 24 hours now, without a restart, which lately is a record.
So where was all this going you ask... well my time has either been used up or not allocated well enough, and I seem to be behind in all areas.... and for me it won't get too much better until the end of September. The for most of the month I get to play hostess... a little time back in Chicagoland, some time showing off Kentucky and a trip to Paducah for the new Fall Show. I am so excited about this opportunity, and of course, I will post about that a bit later.
In the meantime, check out www.ihaveanotion.com... I have started to update the stock and some of the prices. So far Books, DVDs, Fabric/Kits and Stabilizers have been sorted. Check them out, some are pretty good bargains if it is something you need.
As always, there will be More Later-
Beth and Bandit
Announcement!
I Have A Notion blog and store have moved to:
the store can be found at
There is a much easier to navigate store, with new items. The blog has its own page as well... new content too.
The blog is now at www.ihaveanotion.com/blog
Please come and visit!
Sunday, August 27, 2017
Monday, August 21, 2017
Theme of the Day
Hello Friends!
Life here on farm (ha don’t I wish I had a farm!) is going
full speed ahead, in a direction other than planned of course!
I want to share a couple of experiences… I had this week
which all have a theme.
#1. I have a vacuum cleaner, only 2 years old. As anyone with
dogs or kids knows, they occasionally need to have some attention, especially the area of the brush roll. So I settled in to deal with this machine. Thinking like most vacuums I have had, I’ll
just take the cover off and clean out the area brush roll/belt area. After removing the screws (9), and
a Google search for the how to get the cover off, I finally called the company.
First thing the guy says to me is, "if you have removed any screws you have voided your
warranty". Big deal, it’s already out of warranty and needs attention. Next he says they don’t make
them to come apart. That if you need to replace the brush roll or belt, they
sell you a brand new head at $70 plus S/H! How is that good for me? For the landfill? Longevity of a vacuum? Would I recommend this product to friends and family or would I buy another-not a chance. I have a Hoover that is 15 and still works great and I
can still buy just the parts I need for it.
#2. I bought a new phone about 4 or 5 weeks ago. Just recently
released. It stopped working while charging. Like FROZE to a brick of
unresponsiveness. Took it to the store… After more than an hour I came out with
my old phone activated (the Sim Cards have gotten even smaller so the Sim Card from the new one
would not fit old one, they waived the activation fee) while I wait for the
replacement phone to be sent to me. The phone that died was inspected like I had done some
damage to it and wanted something for nothing. You would think they might look
up our record with the company…. And see that we don’t make complaints and pay
the bill on time… We are the ones they want to keep not alienate with distrust
and skepticism. We won’t even discuss the skipping me in the que for
assistance.
#3. I also had an issue with some food… coffee, the life blood
of early risers. I like a particular brand and I get it from a big box store.
For the last 6 months or so, I have asked, complained, suggested, or pointed out
(to the powers that be) that the store is having a stock problem… Finally, in
our house we were out… not a bean left in the jar, it was time for some coffee.
At the store not a single bag of either blends we prefer were on hand. I
stopped at Customer (no)Service, for a stock update, shipment expected on the 6th.
I had to come home without coffee, and what is worse make a trip to another
store for a bag of ‘make do’ until I figure out a new coffee. As I came in door
I spied my computer and though… I wonder if the company knows that this store
chain is having a problem, or if it is just my store, since I was getting
nothing done from the bottom up… what about the top down. So I called them. It
was an amazing conversation. I was promised 2 bags would be sent to me right
away, and what is more…. The Operations Manager called later that evening from
his personal cell to discuss the difficulty I was having and to try and figure
out where the problem might be. He also told me to contact him back if I had
any other issues or concerns. 10 days later I sent him a picture of the coffee
display, stating that nothing had changed…. And the store was still out of the
coffee.
So where was all this going? What is the theme? Do you have
a guess? Did you say customer service? What makes a happy customer? Kelly knew
and I am going to try to carry on in her tradition. Friendly Customer Service
with a SMILE!
More Later- Beth
More Later- Beth
Sunday, August 13, 2017
Good Morning Quilters!
While you don’t see much happening at the I Have a Notion store,
there is so much going…. I don’t know where to begin to tell you about it and I am more than sure you don't really want to hear about it. I
have been on the Internet for a long time, but mostly from the finished front side (stores
and blogs and information pages) but have never found the need to spend much
time on the backside. What an education!!!
In addition, while attempting to scale the mountain of things
I don’t know I have been visiting with a dentist. I have had so many
experiences with dentist that were not so favorable, that I now go over the
edge with anxiety, that it takes a day or two to get my equilibrium back. I
will have a few more visits over the next year…. You know those pesky fillings
from our childhood… I have a few that need to be replaced.
I have a quilt that I titled "Childhood Memories". For me it
depicts the freedom and wide open spaces of being a child in the summer.
Childhood Memories |
I made it for a Guild Challenge in 2015. The challenge issued was to
use the pinwheel block (already constructed by the challenge committee) on the
front of the quilt, and we were not allowed to alter it. I knew the minute I
saw it, that I wanted it to be a 3 dimensional “Pinwheel” that turned on my quilt like the little
ones we had as children on a stick. As a child I saw them as pointless and requiring too
much work to make them spin (running) if there wasn’t a strong breeze blowing.
So what marks the end of summer for you? I am always
interested to hear other perspectives… especially if you live where it is
different than where I have lived.
Thanks for stopping by and checking in, as always More
Later!!!
Beth
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Hello Ladies, Gentlemen, Quilters, Sewists, Shoppers and
Gadget Guru’s!!!
Thank you Kelly for the introduction. To say that things
have not gone quite as planned is an understatement. The Internet in all of its
confusing states has decided that what ‘was’ there is…. Not. I apologize if you
are finding it to be inconvenient.
So…. While I try and scale the mountain of things I don’t
know and file them among the little that I do know, let me tell you more about
me and maybe some of my vision, and in return please comment and tell me some
of the things that you love about Kelly and I Have A Notion!!!
Linzi and Bandit... the dogs |
As you know my name is Beth Hunter. I currently live in
Kentucky, and just passed the 2 year mark at this address. I have a husband and
2 dogs… and we have moved a lot. Quilting has been my connective tissue whenever
and wherever I have moved. I know quilters around the world both in real life and
online. Quilters are, by nature a warm friendly and sharing community and I
want that at I Have A Notion. I want to share some of what I have learned, help
other quilters find what they need to progress and create their vision, and
create a community of joy and friendship.
My quilting endeavors began around the fall of 1986 when I
joined a quilting guild. At that time I lived in the small community of Paradise,
California. The guild had nearly 100 members and the average age of the members
then was 60-65. I was considerably younger (by half), and I loved all those
ladies like family. I learned to hand piece and quilt with cardboard templates
and a pencil and the rotary cutter was just becoming the THING. The using a sewing
machine came later for me.
My quilting took a short detour, when I was mistakenly
diagnosed with carpal tunnel syndrome, so I stopped almost all stitching for
about 10 years. There were a few moves in California, and then we moved from
Southern Cali to Nebraska in 2002. Once in Nebraska (Grand Island) I decided to
take up quilting again! I had to let go of much of the handwork and use a
machine more…. I of course joined a guild and had a fabulous time with those
ladies too. I am still in contact with many of them these days. Since then I
have moved many more times and made many many many many more friends, one of
them is Kelly!
I first found Kelly and I Have A Notion via the blog and would read
every installment, about the products, her guilds and friends, Mr. McSteamy,
the kids and of course the flamingos. Kelly and I have kept in contact over the
years via email. We have some shared experiences, I blogged about one here, from
when I was living in South Africa. Feel free to poke about on that blog… if you
want… I have shared much of my QUILTY life and connections there as well as my foray
into photography, but for just pictures there is also a Flickr page.
My quilting style is whatever interests me at the moment… although
I have moved a little away from traditional quilts to more ART… I love to play with
thread.
Until everything is sorted out… I can be reached at baquilter@live.com or by phone at
270-900-4564
Please stay tuned and be patient …. Because as I always say;
There will be more later!!!
Beth
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